Resilience
by TheDarkJedi
Summary: Leia Skywalker lived a humble life with Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. After a trip to Mos Eisley, the curious child finds her world turn upside down after getting lost in the district. Hope begins to fade from her brown eyes until a dark figure visits the planet. Takes place 8 years after ROTS Potential trigger warnings I do not own any Star Wars content. *CURRENTLY BEING REVISED*
1. chapter 1

Chapter 1: Lost

Leia Skywalker lived a humble life with her Aunt and Uncle on the planet of Tatooine. Although she didn't have the luxuries of traveling and buying the newest of the things, she made sure she worked hard on her uncle's moisture farm to earn an allowance. Meanwhile, her aunt would occasionally ask for help around the house. Whether it was cleaning the kitchen or harvesting water, the girl always work diligent with any task handed to her. Even so, she managed to save enough credits to buy a new tunic. It was something she desperately wanted as her's was ripped and torn in the bottoms. So when she heard her Uncle Owen making a trip to Mos Eisley, she knew this was her golden opportunity.

"Can I go with Uncle Owen?" The young child asked her aunt as she was was helping with the dishes. Beru sighed with frustration. "You already know my answer Leia."

"But I'll make sure I stick with uncle Owen at all times. I promise." The doe eyed girl persisted after drying a plate and placing it in the cabinet. Beru finished scrubbing the last glass before turning to her niece. "Leia, I told you how dangerous the district can be. The hutts and toydarians would do anything to find a girl like you. Tatooine is a scary place and they show no mercy even if you're just a child."

Leia huffed at the response from her aunt. It was her go to answer everytime she asked to go out and explore the city. The brown haired girl retrieved the clean glass from Beru's hand and began drying it up. "That's not fair! You never let me go out unless we are delivering water to that weird old hermit."

"Ben is a nice guy. I thought you found him interesting." Beru stated, turning off the faucet and continued. "Besides Leia you know the only reason why I say this is because I love you and I want to protect you."

"You can't protect me forever. I love you too aunt Beru but I can't live the rest of my life on some farm. There's a whole galaxy waiting to be discovered and people that need to be helped. I can't do that if I'm locked in some sort of confinement." Leia declared after placing the glass in the cabinet.

Beru knew her niece was stubborn but she also knew she was right. She had to admit Leia was extremely smart for her age considering her home schooled education. Her thoughts shifted to her step brother in law remembering the few occasions she met him. Anakin always seemed stubborn; at least first impression anyways. "You're just like your father." She stated before facing towards the girl.

Leia gleamed at the mention of her father. It was very rare for either of her aunt or uncle to mention him. The only thing she knew was that he was a heroic pilot who died during the Clone Wars. That comment alone made her feel connected to her real family. "So does that mean I could go?"

Beru sighed knowing she couldn't say no forever." Fine" she began before getting interrupted.

"Thank you thank you thank you!!!" Leia spoke in excitement. Her aunt however placed her hands on top of her shoulders to calm her down. "Just because I said yes doesn't mean you could do whatever you want. I want you to be with your uncle at ALL times and do whatever he says." Beru instructed.

"I promise." Leia smiled, overjoyed with the idea of finally seeing some place new. "You're the best aunt in the galaxy" Leia exclaimed as she ran off to her room. Beru on the other hand shook her head in disbelief. "I hope I made the right decision."

—-

Leia Skywalker retrieved her purse and credits from her beige wooden dresser. Although her bedroom was small, she made it feel comfortable with her very own artwork decorating it's walls. "I hope uncle Owen didn't leave yet." The small brunette thought while scurrying our the door.

The tiny child ran as fast as she could towards the garage hoping both her uncle and speeder was still there. To her luck, uncle Owen was already in his speeder, getting ready to leave. The little girl hopped in the front seat while her Uncle gave her a surprised look.

"What are you doin-" Owen began before Leia intercepted. "Before you ask, aunt Beru said I could go." Leia explained as she put on her seatbelt. Uncle Owen knew to never argue with his wife decisions so he didn't question it.

"Very well then . Just make sure you never leave my side and listen to what I have to say." Owen stated. Leia nodded and Uncle Owen drove off.

——

The streets of Mos Eisley were filled with vendors and merchants bargaining and exchanging foreign items. The hustle of the crowed made Leia fill like a small girl in a big world. She silently slipped her hand in her uncle's for a sense of security but still couldn't help but be overwhelmed by wonder. Owen tighten his grasp on the small hand and led her through the crowd.

"Now Leia, I'm meeting with a very important client today so I need you on your very best behavior." Owen stopped as they both approached a small booth. Leia knew she had to fulfill part of her agreement despite the fact of her wanderlust peeking through. "Okay. I'll make sure to bring out my ewok eyes." The child joked, easing up the tension. She could _feel_ the nerves exonerating from her uncle's presence. She tighten her grasp on her uncles hand and comforted him as he met the customer. It seemed to be working.

"Hello Owen. Glad you could make it today. Might I ask who is the lovely little lady with you?" The Rakata introduced. Unlike Owen, Leia felt an uneasiness in her stomach as she observed the tall alien. The scarlet alien had two big nostrils in the center of his long face. The wrinkles on his oval shaped head were also present along with evenly separated eyes. Leia never saw an alien like him before and she had to admit, something felt extremely off.

"This is my niece, Leia. Leia say hi to our nice friend" Owen ordered. Leia looked at her uncle with a sense of detest in her eyes. Still, she knew best to listen to him being that it was her only option. "Hello there." She simply spoke.

The Rakata only smiled at the girl's response before Owen getting into business. "So about the purchase. I think I may have enough water for your supply."

"Ah yes. I have a few questions about the terms" the Rakata said as he focused his attention back on Owen.

Leia, on the other hand, decided to blur out the "grown-up" conversation and observed her surroundings out of curiosity. Her eyes wandered towards the busy streets until something beautiful caught her eye. It was a white tunic, perfect for farming under Tatooine weather. Not only it looked durable, but it also looked so fashionable that it even caught the attention from the eccentric girl. She had to have it.

"Uncle Owen, can I please go over to that booth real quick?" Leia asked, subconsciously interrupting the conversation. Owen glared at Leia for her impoliteness. "No. You need to be close to where I could see you."

Leia began to pout at that response and quickly crossed her free arm. "Let the child go. I could see where she is and keep an eye out." The Rakata chimed in. Owen looked between his niece and customer and finally gave in. "Fine, but make sure you come back right to this spot when you are done. You understand?"

Leia nodded in agreement and walked straight towards the clothing booth. As Leia reached the kiosk, the tunic looked even more beautiful up close. She knew she had to have it.

"Excuse me? How much is this?" Leia asked the merchant who paused himself from sweeping. "Ah yes that will be 15,000 credits" the rodian responded thinking the girl couldn't afford it. He was right. Leia only saved up 10,000 credits she earned in her lifetime. She was also 5,000 credits short. She looked at her uncle across the street who looked like they were finalizing the deal. She wanted to ask him for the rest but she knew money was tight. Sadness loomed over the young child as she thanked the rodian for his time as he continued sweeping behind him.

"Hey there darling. Would you like to buy that tunic?" A Toydarian customer asked noticing the gloomy child. Leia looked at him with a spec of chance in her eyes. Though, she had to refuse the generous offer. "No thank you. I was just looking anyways."

"Cmon I bet it'll look pretty on you" the creature continued, making Leia slightly uncomfortable. "Uh, I'm sure." Leia refused yet again. She knew not to trust him and felt the need to reunite with her uncle. "My uncle is looking for me," Leia explained after turning towards the direction of her uncle.

"Not so fast." The Toydarian said as he grabbed Leia's arm. "You could be worth a loads of credits baby you ain't going anywhere." Leia's heart began to race. She needed to get her uncle attention fast.

"Let go of me you nerf herder!" Leia struggled to try to be free from his grasp. It wasn't working and she knew she couldn't escape from him. She did the next best thing. "UNCLE OWEN HELP-" Leia began, noticing the Rakata staring directly at her. The noise from the market drowned her screams as she noticed the Rakata client smiled in her directi. The next thing she knee, Leia felt a hand covering her mouth.

"Go to sleep little girl." She heard the monster say before losing consciousness. She needed to fight against it. Her body, however, wasn't corresponding with her demands. 'Beru was right' she thought as her vision became blurry. She wanted one thing right now and it was the only thing he couldn't get. The brave man who fought and flew in the clone wars. The man she dreamed of learning from her aunt and uncle. The man who was willing to die in battle.

"DADDY!" The girl yelled in a muffle, noticing her eyes getting heavy.


	2. Chapter 2: Disappearance

_"Daddy!"_

The sudden voice interrupted the apprentice thoughts causing his anger eyes to revel in exhaustion. Lately, the menacing Sith Lord couldn't concentrate on his meditation with empire day approaching. Memories engulfed his brain of what could've been on that fateful day. His beloved wife and child could've been by his side, ruling the empire but his irreversible decision stripped it all away. Was this some cruel joke from the force?

His anger only escalated causing shakes and cracks in his chamber. It was only then the sith realized that meditation wasn't going to occur. Instead, he decided to put on his mask and attend more important matters; finding rebel spies.

"Well it was pleasure doing buisness with you." Owen stated happily as his client finalized line agreement. Filled with excitement, the modest farmer searched his eyes for his niece so they can share the lovely news to his wife at home. What turned from excitement and happinesses instantly diminished as his heart dropped from the sight of her absence.

"LEIA!" Owen yelled, running towards the kiosk where she had last been. His eyes scavenged the whole area with nothing but disappointment. Finally, he approached the Rodian hoping for some insight on where the little girl could've wandered.

"Have you seen a little brown haired girl with big brown eyes?" Owen asked hoping for some sort of luck. He desperately needed to hear something helpful or his head will explode.

The rodian turned around from folding a few fabrics and glanced at the older man. By the tenacity of his voice, he needed to answer right away.

"I had lots of customers here today." The rodian began." But I did remember seeing a little girl eyeing one of my tunics. All I remembered was the disappointment on her face as she found out she couldn't afford it."

Owen felt a pang of sadness himself for his niece. He knew how much she's been trying to save and how hard she worked on the farms. All he wanted to do was find her safe and promise to give her what he can. "Do you remember which direction the child went?"

"Ah yes, I do recall her going to towards the toydarians over there through these busy streets. You know these streets aren't safe for young ones." The rodian continued

Those words echoed through his brain as his wife told him something similar when talking about Leia.

All hope has been lost at the thought of Leia's disappearance. Owen knew that his little girl was in danger. The streets of Mon Eisley were ruthless regardless of age and gender. The only person who could possibly help in this situation was millions of miles away. Still he needed to take action quickly knowing that there wasn't much time left. The farmer ran towards his speeder and headed straight home.

The ride to his residence was filled with anticipation. His mind was only focusing on Leia but the thought of Beru halted his train of thought. His wife was extremely fond of the little girl and saw Leia as her own daughter. Her protectiveness showed how much she care and loved Leia. She only gave her husband one simple yet important task and he beyond failed her.

Approaching the residence, Owen parked his speeder and rushed through the threshold to a napping Beru on the couch.

"Owen is that you? What's wrong? Why are you storming in like that?" Beru questioned as she sat herself up.

"Beru where is the comlink?" Owen ignored scavaging the drawers.

"Second drawer on the left. But answer me!" Beru demanded, scratching her eyes.

Unsurprisingly, Owen found the tiny gadget and quickly entered a code needed for communication. "We need to call him."

Beru instantly knew who her husband was talking about. Ben Kenobi always got on Owens nerves for some reason ever since he stepped foot in their house. So why did he want to call him all of a sudden?

"Owen Lars." She stood up to her frantic husband. "You know he's in Alderaan right? Why do you want to speak to him?" Beru became curious and noticed something was off by her surroundings. It was too quiet for her liking. "Where's Leia?"

Owen became frustrated and annoyed by his wife's pestering questions.

"LEIA HAD DISAPPEARED AND I DONT KNOW WHERE SHE'S AT OKAY?"

Beru froze immediately. Her heart began racing knowing that disappeared more likely meant being kidnapped on the streets of the city. Anger flared up as she stormed to her husbands face.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S MISSING? YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO WATCH HER!"

"DONT PUT THE BLAME ON ME. YOU WERE THE ONE WHO THOUGHT IT WAS OKAY FOR A SEVEN YEAR OLD TO GO TO MON EISLEY WITH ME" Owen fought back. The words stinged on Berus ears like a pack of needles. He was right. She started sobbing while Owen's demeanor changed.

"Look my love, we don't have the time to argue. For Leia's sake. Our little girl is still alive and the only person who could help us find her is him. I need to make this call okay?" Owen stated as he held his wife in his arms. He hated seeing her cry and hated himself more for being the reason. After a quick second, Beru only nodded as Owen dialed the special code into the device.

To their surprise, there was an incoming transmission from the Jedi himself. Owen instantly picked up the call and saw the older man through the projection.

"Hello Owen.-" Ben began noticing that the man was not alone. "Hello Beru."

"Hello Ben." the couple exchanged greetings.

"Let's cut to the chase shall we? I felt a great disturbance from the force." Obi Wan said causing the couple to exchange worried looks. "Is Leia safe?"

Owen looked defeated at the realization of this horrific event. "No sh-she's" Owen stuttered, too heartbroken to finish his sentence.

"Missing." His wife finished, looking gloomily at the hologram.

Ben closed his eyes, contemplating on what his plan should be. He briefly meditated through the force and came up with a conclusion.

"I'll be there as fast as I can."

With those final words, the screen was no longer and the couple let out a sigh they unknowingly kept in.

 **Guys I'm so sorry for the wait! I had writers block for the longest but now I know what I want to do!!! I'll edit this story later but I can't wait!**


	3. Chapter 3: Sold

_Warmth engulfed her body as she felt the sun's rays protecting her like a blanket. Her eyes were closed while she layed down on the soft yet comfortable grass. Strange but surreal, the little girl was confused at this feeling; peace. Moments later, her memories from before filled in causing her eyes to jot open. Where was she? She initially thought._

 _Observing her surroundings, the little girl found herself surrounded by paradise. The air had a natural crisp to it making Leia feel a sense of security. Besides her were mountains and marvelous fields of millaflowers and rominaria plants. The skies were painted like a canvas made for royalty. It's pink and purple sunset only made the child wander in awe. Still, the doe eyed girl felt curious enough to question herself._

 _"Is this a dream?" She thought for a moment. All she remembered was getting kidnapped by that ruthless monster and how scared she felt knowing that she would probably never see her family again. Even if this was a dream, she knew deep down that she didn't want to wake up._

 _For a brief moment, Leia felt as if she wasn't alone. She could feel a presence different from what she ever experienced. It reminded her of the old hermit neighbor who would sometimes visit for their water supply back on the farm. This was different. She not only felt it's warmth and serenity, she also felt it's familiarity. Curiously, the little girl decided to investigate its source and walked for what seemed to be miles._

 _Upon the horizon, Leia only felt the source becoming closer and closer until she stumbled across a beautiful clear lake in the distance. She had to stop for a moment and relinquish in the breathtaking view._

 _"Wow" she began " I never seen this much water in the galaxy."_

 _Awestruck, the girl tried taking in the scenery as much as she could until she noticed a ball of light by the lake. It felt as if this light was yearning for her discovery. Leia, inadvertently made her way closer and closer until the light appeared to be a different image. The first thing she noticed was blond hair reminding her of the sand from her home planet. The hair belonged to a little boy who had to be her age. Leia noticed that said boy was skipping rocks across the water. Her mind, however, became alert and flurried with multiple questions._

 _"Who is this little boy and why was she in her 'dream'?" She thought. Leia didn't have much friends due to her being homeschooled by her Aunt. In fact, she never even saw, let alone met anyone who was her age. So why would she ever dream about a boy in the first place?_

 _Carefully, Leia approached the boy trying to be gentle yet cautious at the same time._

 _"Hello there." She started, causing the boy to jump and turn towards her. The first thing she noticed was his piercing blue eyes that reminded her of the lake's water. It was so beautiful. "I'm Leia."_

 _The boy's gaze wandered at her sight. Leia didn't notice but she was wearing the same white tunic she spotted in the market place. The boy observed her appearance causing him to ignore her greetings for the moment. Leia's hair was a chocolate brown, kept in two simple braids. From a stranger's point of view, the child looked like a princess. He had to admit that she reminded him of an angel._

 _Realizing the awkward silence in the air, the boy continued the conversation. "I know" he stated. "Somehow I already knew." He smiled._

 _Leia would've been creeped out by the strange comment but something about the boy made her feel like she could trust him._

 _"My name's Luke." He greeted, extending his hand. Leia's heart became warm as she reached out to connect her hands with his. Before their fingertips could touch, the world surrounding them crumbled within a second and everything became black._

"Wake up you filthy scum."

Leia felt a sharp nudge on her body which made her wince in slight pain. Her eyes opened to what seemed like a nightmare. The toydarian from earlier was by her side with chained cuffs by her body. She could feel the clasp of the cold metal wrapped around her tiny wrists, unable to move.

"Where am I?" she asked seeing that she was in some sort of beige confinement. The walls surrounding her were dirty and the only piece of furniture in the room was the chair she sat in.

"It's none of your concern." The toydarian hissed yanking Leia up from her seat. His response only angered the girl even more.

"What have you done to me?!? I swear on the two suns my aunt and uncle are going to find me and when they do-" she yelled, only interrupted by a menacing laugh.

"Oh sweetie, your family is never coming back. I'm afraid we are far away from home" the alien grabbed her and headed towards the door before stopping. "Even if they do, they will be dead even if they tried."

Leia panicked. Her aunt and uncle would be in as much danger as she was if they came looking for her. Somehow, she knew these creatures were powerful especially on their promises. In her mind she begged and prayed that they were safe and unharmed.

"Where are you taking me?" Leia demanded as her captor pushed her through the narrow door.

"It's none of your buisness you stupid brat! You better keep your mouth closed in front of the customers." He said. Leia on the other hand wanted to scream as loud as she could and escape from his grasp. The toydarian noticed her fusiness and yanked the chains closer to him.

"You better behave for you aunt and uncle's sake. You don't want their little homestead burned to ashes do you?"

Leia stood still and compiled at the threat. When she heard the word 'customers' she knew she was the object they would be buying. All the girl wanted to do was cry and wake up from this terrible nightmare. It felt as if everything was her fault. She knew her own curiosity jeopardized herself and everyone she cared about. Instead, she silently whimpered with tears streaming down on her face.

Leia remained silent which made her captive grin even more. "That's what I thought little girl. Now if you excuse me, we have some buisness to attend to.

The pair then exited the cell and made their way towards what seemed to be, an endless corridor. Only moments of turning multiple rights and lefts, Leia and her captor reached a large hall that housed numerous creatures and humans alike.

To Leia's horror, the sight alone became extremely unbearable. A slimey hutt could be seen on the main stage causally relaxed with a few Twi-leks on his side. Leia noticed the twi-leks were chained up as she was which made her stomach flip.

"They must be slaves," the brunette girl thought. Leia heard stories from Aunt Beru about slaves and their terrifying treatment by the mysterious species called the Hutts. Each slave wore a shock collar that instilled the idea of no escape. Scars were created if the slaves have failed or disobey their owners at any time. Leia thought that her aunt exaggerated to keep her sheltered in but now she knew she was far from wrong.

A silver protocol droid could be seen standing in front of the Hutt, gathering the attention of the crowd. "Welcome to the annual slave auction"

The diverse crowd of numerous species roared with cheers and claps as if the event was some sort of sport. Leia immediately grimaced at the sound causing her to roll her big eyes. The toydarian noticed the little girl's discomfort and yanked her chains as a reprimand.

"You better change that ugly look on your face. No one would want to buy a spoiled brat whatsoever.

Leia forcefully obeyed her captor as both alien and girl gathered towards the main stage. Her heart began pounding as reality began to settle in her innocent mind. From the stories her dear aunt told her, she never knew that she would be in a similar yet more horrifying position.

"Before we start off with the main event, sir Jabba the Hutt would like to remind you of a new set of rules. After years of bargaining and losing credits, all purchases are non-refundable. If a slave does not respond to the master's commands it is up to the master themselves to deal with such matter. However, shock collars can be sold for 2000 credits." The droid addressed. A series of boos and disbelief can be heard from the audience which made Leia's stomach sink even more. The giant slug only shrugged in response.

"Now let's get started, shall we. Our first prize is a Tortuga female at the age of 24. Her specialties include obedience and high culinary skills. The bid starts at 25,000 credits."

Leia watched the events unfold her brown eyes. The Tortuga had three blue stripes on each of her horns and was minimally covered by brown cloth fabrics. The female's eyes were small and Leia noticed tears streaming from the girl's face. Her expression was somber which caused Leia to sympathize with the creature. The droid went back and forth with the audience until a slimy Zybahhod purchased her for 65,000 credits. The Tortuga wept as she heard the word sold echoed throughout the room. However, her cries were suffocated with thunderous applause and laughter.

As the Tortuga exited the stage with her new master, the droid began addressing the next victim of this horrendous auction.

"The next contestant is a female human child with stunning brown eyes and hair to compliment her features. Her talents include handiness and work ethic. The bid starts at 75,000 credits."

All of a sudden, her world froze as she felt a harsh push towards the main stage. Her captor yanked her chains and all the little girl wanted to do was cry in agony at her cruel fate. Small conversations could be heard of interest and amazement. All Leia wanted to do was close her eyes as she faced the criminals in the audience."

"80,000 credits" a blue Rodian yelled from the distance.

"95,000 credits" yelled another. Leia couldn't believe the idea of paying so much money for a slave let alone a child.

"200,000 credits" yelled a grimy toydarian from the back of the audience. By the reaction from almost everyone in the room, shock and gasps filled the air.

"200,000 credits. Going once, twice, sold to Watto." The crowd only clapped as the toydarian made his way towards the stage. Leia observed her new owner and couldn't help but frown in disgust and fear. At that moment, she wished for her uncle to wake her up from this never-ending nightmare. Her captor could be heard celebrating with her new master as he dispenses the currency to the customer.

Watto grabbed her chains and pulled the young girl closer to him, off of the stage. "Well aren't you a pretty little one." He stated, grabbing her chin to get a closer look. "You're gonna make me so much money."


	4. Chapter 4: Disturbance

Alderaan

The effervescent chilly weather was noticeable on the mountainous landscape of Alderaan. Snow covered the mountains yet the sun shined brightly with light covering the city-like region. The opulent palace centered in the city can be viewed throughout the capital. From numerous balconies and hangars, the palace was quite luxurious with prestige paintings and technology. While some citizens consider the place as a landmark, three royal citizens consider it home.

Queen Breha along with her husband, Viceroy Bail Organa ruled the peaceful planet without much protest. The royal couple were popular amongst their citizens for their generosity and kindness. On her free time, the Queen often volunteered at local orphanages and shelters while her husband attended senatorial meetings with the council. The couple even harbored a child that was often kept from the public. Few considered the choice odd considering the child's royal status but mostly everyone respected the parents decision for privacy.

The general public caught glimpses of the young boy during public events and holidays such as founders day. Prince Luke Organa was deemed as a quite yet handsome young boy with brown eyes and jet black hair. However, the public often wondered about the life of the child in the first place.

One of the very few people blessed to meet the young boy personally was a simple old man from Tatooine. Although Ben Kenobi often visited Alderaan as his father's friend, Luke often enjoyed the presence of the old man. Every time Ben came to visit, he would always tell the boy old war stories and even calm his nerves by teaching him meditation techniques. Luke was an anxious little child. He didn't care for politics like his parents which made him nervous and shy to the public. How would it look like for heir to not inherit his parent's charisma?

This day was quite different from his regular day as the Prince of Alderaan. Founders day is an important holiday for the Alderaan culture. Like previous holidays spent, Luke would start his day addressing the citizens in a ceremony with his parents. From there, his mother would take him to the shelter and give out food to the less fortunate. Finally, the royal family would end the day starring in the festival parade held by the people.

Although Luke enjoyed the feeling of helping out and celebrating with the world, his anxiety spiked with dread. He hated on putting contacts and wigs that made his precious blond hair itch. He just wanted to be a normal kid and have friends who wanted to build x wing models with him. He hated his eyes being dry from the silly brown contacts. He didn't understand why he had to hide his true appearance from the public. When the boy asked, his dad would always tell him it's for his safety. Luke eventually gave up asking and learned to deal with it.

Feeling a spike of discomfort in the force, a soft knock could be heard from his bedroom doorway. Luke turned to the source and was relieved to have found that it was Ben instead of his productive mother.

"Uncle Ben!" Luke shouted as he got up from his bed and rushed towards the guy. "I am so happy to see you" he said as he hugged the guy.

"Hello there" Obi-Wan greeted, returning the hug only for a slight moment. "How are you feeling young one?" He asked.

"I feel-" the kid began and paused. Was it anxious for the day? Tired of being in the public's eye? Lonely for not having a friend his age?

"Say no more" Ben interjected."why don't we go to the gardens and practice the techniques I taught you.

Luke beamed with eagerness. Anything was better than putting makeup on." Sure but I have to get ready soon, mom is gonna kill me if I don't put on my contacts.

"It would only take a few minutes I promise." Ben smiled

"Fine."

The two blondes found themselves at the center of the royal gardens. The sight itself was serene with vibrant colored flowers and exotic plants that radiates calm energy. In the center of the garden lied a fountain resembling a waterfall. Luke loved meditating here especially with Ben. Sometimes he felt a connection to the man that even Bail couldn't understand. Ben didn't see Luke as the Prince of Alderaan but more of Luke as the seven year old boy who was thrown in the life of politics.

While Luke was positioning himself next to the fountain, Obi-Wan took the time to observe Luke over the years he visited. Although Luke was only seven years old, he was quite intelligent for his age. Padmé would've been thankful for the Organas teaching Luke manners and providing him excellent education. However, he was his father's son. The boy's mind was always in the clouds. He could sense the yearn for something greater. It reminded him of the nine year old child he met on Tatooine years ago. Obi-Wan couldn't help but look down at the thought of his fallen brother.

"Are you okay Ben?" Luke asked as he sat indian style on the ground. Obi-Wan was shocked at how strong Luke was in the force. He managed to go past his shields and felt his sadness. The Jedi had to admit, he was strong in the force like his father. But Luke's force presence was different. Luke's presence was like a ball of light compared to Anakin's. However, teaching Luke the ways of the force was quite dangerous. He couldn't let Vader corrupt the blinding light by sensing him. Still, he had to teach Luke how to indirectly shield his presence and calm his nerves.

"I'm fine young one. Now let's start before your mother sends her guards." He chuckled.

Obi-Wan mimic Luke's position and sat directly across from him.

"Now Luke, close your eyes and feel your surroundings. Empty all of your thoughts and focus on the physical world. Feel the heat of the morning suns and listen to nature's music. Take deep breaths and let your worries go away." Obi-Wan instructed.

Luke was quite fond of meditation and was able to adapt and learn the techniques quickly. The boy followed the advice and began relaxing almost instantly.

"Luke, focus on how the feeling impacts you only. Make sure **you're** the only one who could feel what your experiencing." Ben noted. Luke's shields were sloppy depending on his mood. His anxiety was most likely the reason why.

The child listened to his mentor and let all of his worries fade away. There was something about this experience that made him feel at peace.

Soon, the Jedi also followed Luke into his own meditation and focused on the force surrounding them.

Fifteen minutes into the meditation, a great disturbance in the force hit Obi-Wan like a wave. All of a sudden, a high pitch scream came from his nephew. Obi-Wan's eyes shot up and quickly shifted to Luke who was trembling on the ground.

"LUKE." Ben shouted, quickly going to the child's side. He held the fragile boy in his arms noticing his pale skin.

"DADDY!" Luke screamed again, causing Obi-Wan to freeze. No Luke was contacting Vader but how? He needed to wake the boy up before the his father or the emperor senses the force-sensitive child. Coming to his senses, Obi-Wan sent a calm force suggestion to his nephew.

"Luke! Wake up!" Ben nudged at the little boy. A pair of sky blue eyes opened and stared at him with confusion painted in the specs. "Ben, what's going on?" Luke asked, gathering himself from Obi-wans hold.

"Are you okay? One minute you were meditating and the next you were trembling with fear. What happened?" He asked, standing up from the ground.

"I-I don't know. One minute I was focusing on the breeze and the next I-" Luke stopped, thinking about what to say next. "I felt cold."

Realization dawned on the former Jedi Master. He felt the disturbance from the force but Luke on the other hand experienced it. This was very rare for force users unless they share a strong bond by other force users.

 _Leia._

Of course that could explain why Luke went into a seizure-like state. He always knew that the twins shared a powerful bond since their mother gave birth to them seven years ago. Even though the twins never met since, the connection was still there, waiting to be reunited at one point. Something horrible must've happened to his niece and he needed to find out immediately.

"LUKE!" An older man yelled as he ran straight towards the pair.

"Dad!" Luke said as he ran towards his dad and giving him a tight hug.

"What in Aldera is going on? One minute I was talking to one of the guards and the next I heard you scream." Bail started, returning a comfortable embrace to his son.

Obi-Wan was about to respond to his friend when he remembered his comlink in his pocket.

"Give me a moment, I have to make a call." Ben urged leaving father and son.

Luke only held on his dad's robes and silently cried. Bail immediately noticed his son's distress and picked the kid up in his arms. "There there. Everything is going to be alright. Daddy's here." Bail soothed. Sometimes he forgot Luke was still a kid and needed comfort too.

Obi-Wan quickly returned to the heartbreaking sight of Luke and Bail. "Viceroy, a word please."

Bail noticed the seriousness in his friend's tone and put Luke on the ground.

"Luke why don't you go to your room and start building that x wing model mama bought you? I'll send Seethreepio to help you get started. How does that sound?" Bail offered as he knelt down towards his son and wiped the tears streaming down his rosy cheeks. Luke only nodded and ran quickly towards the palace.

"I'm afraid I must go. I just finished speaking with Owen and Beru Lars." Ben stated.

"The Lars?" Bail question. "Is Leia okay?"

"I'm afraid not. Leia has been kidnapped in Mon Eisley and there's been no signs of her disappearance." He explained.

A wave of fear and guilt flushed Bail's emotions. He heard stories about the planet Tatooine and knew the streets weren't safe for a child, let alone, a little girl. "I-I should've done something. I should've taken both Luke and Leia and raised them on Alderaan." He admitted.

"You did the right thing Bail. Luke and Leia are already powerful enough in the force. He managed to project his sister's pain light years away. If they were together, Darth Vader would already have found them and turned them into his apprentices. Or even worse, killed them."

"I know, it's just that this wasn't the life Padmé wanted for them." Bail confessed.

"I agree but the monster who caused this is still out there. We cannot fail Luke like I did with Anakin. It's why I think that Luke should stay home today. He's already an anxious little boy and I'm afraid he would unintentionally expose his force presence with the pressure of the public."

Bail only agreed. Luke was a ball of sunshine and he hated seeing his son in such a terrified state. "As you wish. I have to contact Breha and let her know."

"Before I depart, send my regards to Luke and make sure he meditates while I'm gone." Ben said as he put his hood over his head preparing to leave.

"I will and General." Bail called out as his friend was leaving. Obi-Wan turned around and looked at the man. "May the force be with you."

"And with you."

 _The Lars Residence_

"I don't know how much longer I can sit here and do nothing while our little girl is out there." Beru said pacing throughout the living room.

"You heard Kenobi my love, he said he'll be here as fast as he can." Owen stated, trying to calm his wife down. Besides the guilt he was experiencing, Owen also felt worried as time was of the essence. Unlike his wife, he had to stay calm and be rational at this moment.

"As fast as he can? Do you know how far Alderaan is from Tatooine? We are on the outer rim for the makers sake. It'll take at least five days for Obi-Wan to arrive." Beru said, frustrated with the feeling of helplessness.

"I know honey but he's our only option. We cannot alert the authorities and you know why." Owen said, sitting on the couch. The authorities on Tatooine uses imperial databases to track fugitives or missing persons. If Leia's name popped up on the list, god knows what Darth Vader would do let alone kill. Beru on the other hand shook her head in disbelief. " Vader Chu ta!" Beru sweared in Huttese.

Owen knew his wife was beyond upset when she cursed in Huttese. His wife is usually civil and polite but now she's seeing red. Besides, she had the right to be. "Why don't we go to the market in the morning and find clues? The twin sons are setting and it's too dangerous to travel at night." He suggested, getting up from the couch and caressing his wife's arms.

"Fine. Anything is better than staying home and doing nothing." Beru agreed

 _Alderaan Royal Palace._

"Luke?" A soft feminine voice called from her son's doorway.

Luke was still in bed after the whole ordeal an hour ago. Bail informed her on what occurred which made the Queen clear her schedule for the morning. His dark blue blankets covered his tiny body and Breha's heart ached at the sight.

"I'm afraid Luke is tired your majesty. He wouldn't even help assemble the parts for the X wing model." The droid informed.

"Thank you seethreepio, you may power down if you like." The Queen ordered. "As you wish." The droid replied with his eyes dimming down and powering off.

"Luke my love, how are you feeling." Breha asked, sitting besides her son and brushing his soft hair. To her surpise, Luke was not asleep. Instead, his eyes stared as if there was a never ending void of emptiness. His red stained eyes glanced at his mother as tears started to form once again.

"Mama." Luke cried releasing the tears he held in yet again. "Shush my child, mama is here. Mama won't let anything happen to you." Breha soothed, kissing her sons cheek. Luke found comfort in her words and held her free hand close to him.

"I don't know what happened, one minute I was meditating with Uncle Ben and the next, I was in this darkness. I was scared mama and it was cold too." Luke sniffled, feeling the warmth of his mother's hands. Breha knew Luke's abilities would manifest one day. She never knew it would actually take a toll on her son.

"It was just a feeling Luke you're okay now. If you want, you can stay in bed all day while your father and I attend the activities on your behalf." Breha suggested. The idea brought Luke's attention as he sat up and faced his mother. " What about the ceremonies? What about the parade?"

"Don't worry about it my love. Your happiness is just as important to me okay? If you want, I could invite Winter over while Evaan brings you breakfast in bed?" Breha again suggested, wiping the remnants of tears from her sons cheeks.

"No offense mom but all Winter wants to do is play make believe. I'm tired of playing her knight of shining armor." Luke shrugged causing the Queen to laugh.

"Very well then. I'll have Evaan prepare your breakfast." Breha said as she got up and headed for the living quarters.

"Um mama?" Luke called out stopping Breha in her tracks by the doorway.

The Queen turned and smiled to her son, noticing his mood slightly picking up. "Yes my light?"

"I'm going to take a nap. I'm feeling a bit sleepy," Luke told her laying back down on his bed.

"Okay dear. I'll have Evaan check up on you when you wake up." Breha smiled and started walking out the doorway before hearing her name again.

"Mama." She stopped yet again and faced her son one last time. "Anything else sweetie."

"Te amo." Luke said, as his eyes closed.

"Te amo mas" Breha replied with her heart feeling warm. At that moment, she promised herself to protect Luke at all cost. Even if that means sacrificing herself in the future.

 _Hyperspace_

"Arfour conduct a systems check on the mainframe." Obi-Wan ordered as he set his ship to autopilot. His estimated arrival on Tatooine is approximately five and a half days contingent on no delays or stops. That alone made Obi-Wan nervous on behalf of Leia's safety. His mind shifted towards the little girl he would occasionally see working on the Lars farm.

Unlike Luke, Leia took her mother's appearance and had the natural instinct to help whenever she could like her mother. On the times where he rarely visited the farm, he always noticed Leia helping out her aunt with household duties or uncle when it came to harvesting water. However, he realized Leia's personality was a ball of fire. At times, he could see Anakins personality as thelittle girl let it be known of her hatred for sand. She always spoke her mind with a bit of recklessness just like her father. It was interesting to see how the twins developed like their parents. Physically Luke and Leia were mini replicas of Padmé and Anakin. Personality wise, Luke was more keen to Padmé while Leia to Anakin. Obi-Wan had to laugh at the irony of the situation.

In reality however, Obi-Wan's mind drifted from the twins to Anakin constantly. He needed to relax his mind and meditation would be the only way to do it.

While he was about to exit the cockpit, an incoming transmission alerted the Jedi as he sat right back down. When he picked up, his face was shocked with surprise.

"Master Yoda. To what can I assist you today?" Obi-Wan greeted at the exiled creature.

"Hello Master Kenobi. A great disturbance in the force I felt." The green hermit said.

"Yes, I'm afraid it's about Leia. She's been kidnapped on the streets of Mon Eisley." He explained refusing to look at his master's holo.

"Not your fault it is." Yoda began "meditated have you?"

"Well I have meditated a bit with Luke on Alderaan. However, I'm on my way to Tatooine to find her." He explained.

"Rescue her, you should not. The force has its own destiny." Yoda told him which made Obi-Wan look at him incredulously.

"No offense Master Yoda but you're telling me to not save a force sensitive child on a planet where slavery still exists?"

"Crazy as it sounds, yes. The force has its own destiny for Leia Skywalker. Bring balance to the force, she will." Yoda which made Obi-wan even more frustrated.

Obi-Wan only got up from the pilot seat to calm himself down. "With no disrespect, how will Leia bring balance to the force if she isn't even trained. For all we know the girl is frighten and that could lead her to the Darkside."

"Contemplated that I did. Meditate and you'll understand this as the only option. I must go." Yoda started. "May the force be with you." And with that, the green frog hanged up leaving Obi-Wan confused.

Yoda was a smart Master. Obi-wan knew that Yoda was more wise and smart than he ever was. Letting out a sigh, Obi-Wan made his way towards his quarters and meditated for the rest of the night.

 _Alderaan Palace: Luke's Bedroom_

 _"My name is Luke." He greeted, reaching out his hand to the little angel. As soon as his small hand reached for the girl's, the world surrounding them crumbled into darkness._

Waking up instantly, Luke sat up and opened his eyes. _'That dream. It felt so real.'_ He thought. Although the dream ended, He could still remember the look of Leia's face when they spoke go each other for the first time. _Leia_. That name sounded familiar.

Interrupting his thoughts, Evaan came into the room with a tray of food. Luke's thoughts changed at the sight and smell of deliciousness approaching.

"Here are your favorite. Bannacakes with extra syrup and blue milk on the side." Evaan said as they put the tray of food down on Luke's bed. Luke's stomach growled as he thanked his guard for the meal.

The dream began to fade away as he divulged on the sweet food.


	5. Chapter 5: Dread

"This is where you'll staying. Mornings start at the sixth hour and your workday ends at the sixteenth hour." The giant bug explained as he pulled up to run down living quarters. Watto exited the speeder and retrieved a chained up Leia who sat in silence throughout the whole ride. "And remember, the minute you try to escape from me, your head will explode.

After the slave auction, Watto implanted a small microchip behind Leia's skull as a confirmation of ownership. If she tried to leave, the chip would create three beeps until it self destructs inside her skull. The child had a huge headache and had no energy fighting with her new captor.

"Do you understand?" Watto asked, causing Leia to shift her gaze directly at him. Her eyes were bloodshot red and puffy from the tears that had fallen earlier. Her head was pounding and a stinging sensation could be felt like a pricking needle. Her bones were sore from being cuffed throughout the day. All she wanted to do was lay down and sleep the pain away.

"I understand," Leia mumbled. Watto wasn't satisfied by the tone of her answer to which he yanked her chains harder than before. "I'm going to ask this one again. Do you understand" he questioned again.

Leia winced in pain, gritting her teeth and replying to the toydarian. "I understand." She said with a little more confidence.

Watto smirked at the response and grabbed a key from his pocket. Now when I unlock your binders, you are to go straight to the living quarters 34Z." Watto instructed. It was right in front of them and Leia carefully observed her surroundings. The minute Watto unclipped the binders Leia rubbed her small wrists, easing the pain. She could see the purple and blue marks around it which made her flinch.

"Now go!" Watto said and pushed the girl directly towards the door. Leia turned back and stared at her captor with disgust before opening the door to her new prison. Surprisingly, the living quarters felt more like a home than a cell. Although it was cramped, the lower level had a standard kitchen and living space. Immediately Leia was greeted by a male teen Tortuga.

"Seba. Look who Watto bought this time." The teen shouted approaching the frightened young girl. A blue-skinned female Twi'lek came downstairs with her hands on her sides.

"Razé? What's going on?" She asked and stopped when she saw a small child entering the home.

"Did he seriously buy a small little girl? I swear the minute I get my freedom I'm going to whoop his crooked wing, chubby face-"

"Stop," Razé interjected. "She a kid Seba!" He said grabbing Seba's arm, jerking her back to reality.

"Let's not forget who's older in this household." Seba reminded him. She hated Razé for always acting mature and disciplining her. "But you're right. I'm sorry." She apologized directly the doe-eyed girl. "I'm Seba and he's Razé. We're your new 'roommates' ." Seba introduce, studying the child.

She had to admit the child looked like she went through hell and back. Her dark circles engulfed the upper part of her face and she had dirt and several bruises throughout her body. "Poor thing. They must've scarred you." Seba told the child, embracing her in a small hug.

Leia was shocked at the compassion she received. She honestly thought that her life would only be torture from now. But meeting these people, she found comfort in the idea of knowing that she wasn't alone.

"I-I'm Leia." Leia introduced, finally mustering up the courage and returned the hug.

"Leia you must be hungry, why don't I prepare you some rations while Seba shows you around and gets you settled in." Razé offered, heading towards the kitchen area.

The little girl was hesitant at first due to the amount of kindness and generosity she was receiving. She questioned if this was some sort of trick or test that her captor had planned. However, something felt right. It felt genuine.

"Come with me kid. I'll show you to your new room." Seba offered, extending her hand to the child. Leia placed her tiny fingers around the big blue hand and followed her new friend up the stairs.

The place was not only cramped, but also small. As soon as Leia reached the upper level, three doors stood beside another with little to no space in between.

"This is our room, I know it's not grand at the moment but something is better than nothing." The twi'lek stated and entered the middle doorway. The bedroom was big enough to fit a bunk bed and one dresser at the opposite end. Besides the work clothes scattered across the floorboard, the room was a nice size for the two females. "I usually sleep on the bottom bunk because I'm a wild sleeper, so the top one is all yours."

"Thank you, Seba. My aunt Beru told me I don't snore in my sleep anyways." Leia said, giving a sad smile at the thought of her Aunt. She missed Beru giving Leia a cup of warm blue milk before bed. She also missed her uncle Owen telling her stories before tucking her in. Seba noticed the girl's mood changed and decided to crouch down to her level.

"Thank the maker because Razé snores like a bantha." Seba joked which successfully made Leia laugh for the first time in a while. "Now why don't you go shower and change out of that dirty tunic. I still have Razé's old tunics from when he was just about your size. The refresher is on the next door to the right."

"Thank you, Seba, for treating me so kindly." Although it hurt to twist her face in a different direction, Leia gave a smile, something that felt weird to her.

"Don't worry about it kid. We're in this together." Seba hugged the child once again and stood up grabbing a pair of beige tunics from the bottom dresser. "I hope this fits" she said, handing the clothes to the girl. "There should be some clean towels in the refresher."

"Okay." Leia replied heading towards the doorway.

"Oh and Leia?" Seba called out which made Leia turn around and focus her attention on her roommate. "You can call me Sebs" she grinned.

After getting situated with her new home, Leia found herself enjoying the company of her new housemates. During dinner, Sebs would gossip about some giant slug called Jabba which only made Razé react in disgust.

"I didn't waste decent rations for me to lose my appetite cause of some grimy hut." Razé stated, pushing his tray away from his mouth.

"Boo hoo. There's always a conservator" Seba rolled her eyes and continued eating the mashed greens. Meanwhile, the two roomies noticed Leia making loud noises and saw the little girl chowing down her meal.

"See Sebs I told you I'm a better cook!" Razé said excitedly. Seba nudged his knee from under the table. "You must've been starving." Razé continued, feeling a gleam of guilt.

Leia finished slurping on the last spoon of mashed greens saw two pairs of big eyes staring directly at her. The girl silently ate the last remnants of her meal and grabbed a napkin across the table. "Sorry." She said as she wiped the sauce from her face.

"No need to apologize kid. I'm already used to it with Sebs anyways." Razé causally spoke earning a harder kick from his friend.

"Raz can't even control his own gas." Seba entered. Before Leia knew it both of her housemates were mocking each other's gross habits. From what Leia observed, Razé is the mature one in the household. He's more grounded and cautious when it comes to certain things. Meanwhile, Seba is a wildcard. Leia liked the fact that Sebs didn't let the circumstances define the situation. Even if the Twi'lek was blunt, she has a heart of gold. It was quite ironic how the adult seemed to act like a child in this situation. All of a sudden, the girl burst out with laughter causing both aliens to stop.

"You see she even laughs at how disgusting your chewing is!" Razé told Seba which made her eyes roll.

"Oh please, she's laughing cause I said your breath smells like your-"

"No! I mean I wasn't laughing at that. To be quite honest, I wasn't paying attention." Leia interjected . Both Razé and Seba exchanges confused glances at each other when Leia continued. "I would have never thought that something good could come from this nightmare."

Raze smiled at the young girl silently agreeing with such a statement. He himself had experienced such horrendous things but Seba made everything a little less painful for the kid. "I know what you mean. I hate to admit it but getting placed with Sebs was probably the best thing that happened in my short miserable life." He said with a hint of sarcasm at the end.

"Aww, I knew it." Seba spoke as she turned her gaze from Raze to Leia. "Like I told Razé when Watto brought him here, from now on, we are family. We are all that we have left and as your 'big sister', I'll do my very best to look out and care for you." The Twi'lek stated. "For both of you."

Leia felt a sudden urge to cry after hearing Sebs heartfelt statement. She was petrified, knowing the future remained uncertain and dangerous. However, meeting these two people made her feel safe from everyone. Of course they weren't her aunt and uncle but they treated her like family from the moment she stepped in the household. The little girl sat up from her chair and gave Seba a warm hug. Shocked at first, Seba initially remained frozen until a wave of protectiveness washed over her, returning the hug.

Razé's heart clenched at the scene before him. In a couple of ways, he saw himself through Leia and wondered how the future would change her as it did with him. After his parents sold him to slavery at just 5 years old, Razé felt alone. His parents never showed any love to him while they lived together for a short period of time. So when he first met Seba, she showed him what love and compassion felt like. She would wipe his tears whenever Watto discipline him. She would tell him stories from beyond the stars that made him forget of the harsh realities. Most importantly, she showed him the true definition of family. Unknowingly, a yawn escaped from his orange lips and a feeling of exhaustion washed over him.

"It seems like Its getting pretty late." He stated, getting up from the small table and storing his plate in the conservator. Seba glanced at the old clock she found while scavenging a couple of years ago.

"Oh my maker! It's almost 21:30. We should've been in bed by now!" Seba panicked, getting from the chair and cleaning the dishes from the table. Meanwhile, Razé took the lead and was already by the narrow stairway.

"Night Sebs. Goodnight Leia." Razé said, noticing Leia still sitting at the table. The girl looked so out of place that it made him feel even more sorry for her.

"And Leia, it's okay to feel lost right now. If you need anything, I'm here with you okay?" He offered.

Leia, who was staring somberly in space, focused her vision on Razé who then returned a faint smile.

"Thank you Razé that means a lot to me. Goodnight and sleep well." Leia yawned, feeling a sense of tiredness from her own body.

As Razé dismissed himself for the night, Seba herself finished cleaning up and headed upstairs too. Before taking a step up the staircase, the twi'lek turned around looking at a sitting Leia slowly closing her eyes.

"C'mon Leis lets get ready for bed. Watto doesn't like it when we're late. Besides, it looks like a little sleep won't hurt ya kid."

Star Destroyer (Dantooine)

The menacing sith apprentice sat in his plain office with numerous amount of paperwork on his desk. Being an apprentice to a Sith Lord was quite challenging. Hunting rebel spies and survivors of the order were by far Darth Vader's favorite thing to do. Tapping through the dark side of the force gave him a surge of power and strength that couldnt be compared to his previous life. It was quite easy to use the dark side of the force when you're a walking reminder of everything that you hated. For Vader, he hated himself for listening to his master and losing the love of his life. He hated himself for killing his child and believing that everything would be okay. He hated the Jedi for being weak and enforcing no attachments. He hated Obi-Wan Kenobi for turning his wife against him. Most of all, he hated himself. As much as he loved being a Sith apprentice, he was still second in command to the Emperor. From time to time, the Emperor would assign Vader to do reports on each system under the Empire. He loathed politics and would rather be in action than doing some boring paperwork. Before he knew it, the Sith dozed off. Something that was completely rare especially being trapped in a mechanical suit.

 _All of a sudden, flashes filled his mind followed by the erasure of time. Darkness surrounded him like a cold breeze and for a moment everything was quiet. Briefly confused, Lord Vader found himself in the force._

 _"Something wonderful has happened. Ani I'm pregnant"_

 _This couldn't be possible. The voice that he tried to forget, tried to lock away echoed through the atmosphere. He hasn't seen her ghost no matter how hard he tried. He would do anything to see the love of his life once again. The Sith turned around, trying to follow the sorrow music from his angel._

 _"_ _Padme?" The monotone voice responded, not depicting the worries of his own tone._

 _"Anakin, you're breaking my heart." Came a voice from the opposite direction. Darth Vader instantly turned around, running to the sound he yearned to hear once again._

 _"Padme? My angel where are you." He asked in desperation._

 _"You're going down a path I can't follow." The voice softened, causing Vader to stop in his tracks._

 _"Padme... please. Show yourself. I'm begging you." Vader cried, although his respirator failed to emit his emotions._

 _"Come back! I love you." The voice breathed practically behind his neck. The Sith Lord closed his eyes underneath his mask and prayed his wife was there, standing behind him._

 _"I'm here angel. I'll come back to you. Only you." He admitted. After turning around, Vader was greeted by silence and darkness yet again._

 _"You were my brother Anakin I loved you." Another voiced yelled with disappointment from behind._

 _The sound alone made Vader clench his fist with anger. The man who betrayed him. The man who ruined his life and stopped him from meeting his child. It was all his fault._

 _"How dare you." Vader said, igniting his lightsaber. In a brief moment, Vader swung his lightsaber around, expecting to meet the maker of the voice. To his surprise, the Sith Lord stopped when he saw the back of a young girl crouched with her hands covering her eyes._

 _Vader quickly turned off his lightsaber and slowly approached the girl._

 _"DADDY!" The fragile voice yelled, causing a powerful force tremor that startled the apprentice._

~~~

Lord Vader opened his eyes, relieved by the sight of his plain, dull office. If it wasn't for him being in a mechanical suit, Darth Vader would've been drenched in sweat. It was the second time Vader heard the same exact voice days ago. _A_ lthough he brushed it off then, he couldn't help but keep his mind on the image of a small child. Who was she? Was she the unborn child him and his wife shared?

Vader froze at the thought alone. It would make absolute sense due to the fact the voice said the same exact thing with the same exact sound previously. Only now he has somewhat a picture of the voice that haunted him during his meditation.

His child, the one who didn't have the chance to watch suns rise. The one who didn't have the chance to say make their first steps in front of him. The one who didn't have the opportunity to hug him when she was sad or just wanted to be loved.

"It would've been a girl." He whispered with sadness. He remembered the conversation with his wife about the potential gender. The force told him it was a girl he could've felt it. However, his wife firmly believed it was a boy due to mother's intuition. He was right.

He wanted to cry but he couldn't. Oh how he wished to turn back time and meet his baby girl. The dream only reminded him of his past mistakes and failure as he realized Empire day was only a week away. If the force could reprimand Vader with psychological torture, then it was gonna be a hell of a week.

Vader sighed and continue to finish the simple work that he finally revels in.

—-

Tattooine

The alarm chimed loudly drowning out the snores of a sleeping Tortuga next door. Seba dreaded the thought of getting up from her peaceful slumber but fought through the desire to turn off the alarm. Meanwhile, Leia ignored the sound by covering her small ears with the pillow.

Sleeping next door to Razé would take some getting used to for the little girl. Sebs didn't lie when she said he snores like a bantha. It was only until four hours ago, Leia managed to sleep through the snores and finally get some rest. Hearing the alarm however made her silently curse in Huttese, something she heard her aunt say only once in her short life.

"Leia it's time to get up. We have to be on time." Seba nudged Gently through the top bunk.

"Hmm. I'm up I'm up." Leia groggily said as she opened her eyes and wiped the crust away.

"Good, While I fetch Raz, use the refresher. Your work tunic could be found in the last drawer. We only have an hour to get ready and eat breakfast." She instructed and started to exit the room before stopping. "By the way if it's probably gonna fit you big because it used to be mine okay? There's also some light rations in the conservator"

"Okay." To which Leia replied, retrieved her belongings and got ready.

Roughly around 30 minutes later, Leia found herself savoring the taste of warm bread at the dining table. She was always quick to get ready during the mornings on the farm.

In her mind, the child was afraid and nervous with what lied ahead. What she thought would be some prison, she found herself in substantial living quarters with good people. Maybe her assigned job would be easier than expected.

"You ready?" Razé said as he entered the kitchen, preparing a small ration for himself.

"I don't know, I'm a bit scared." She admitted, taking a sip of blue milk from her cup.

"Don't be. People in this part of town could smell fear from a mile away." He said as he headed to the conservator and grabbed some fruit.

"Not to be rude but how can I not be when we are slaves Razé? What I saw at the auction was something like I haven't seen before. I'm afraid to mess up at all."

After grabbing the fruit, Razé pulled up a chair and sat across from Leia at the table. "Look I thought the same exact way when It was my first workday under Watto. All I can tell you is to not let everything overwhelm you."

"I'm scared Razé . I don't want to get hurt for making a mistake." Leia admitted recalling the sleepless night when she got captured. Razé gave a small smile sympathizing with the girl.

"I get it, Leia. If you feel better, the area we a covering is an old cantina on the main passage. The work is nothing that can't be taught. All you have to do is follow simple instructions and be cautious." He informed then eating a slice of his sweet red fruit.

Leia's brown eyes perked up at the mention of the job she is required to do. At least it wasn't outside, under the heat of the twin suns. Still, the child felt anxious yet curious about the catina itself.

"A cantina? What does Watto make you do?" She asked.

Swallowing the slice of fruit, Razé grabbed a cloth from the table and wiped his lips before answering. "Well Sebs is the bartender and I serve the client's drinks/meals. I also handle whatever business Watto needs like appointments and stuff."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Leia spoke noticing Razé's eyebrow arch on the contrary. "What I mean to say was it could've been worse."

"Leis the people you meet are dangerous people. One bad thing that happens and you can easily get hurt." He exaggerated, reassuring Leias fears. Razé noticed how uncomfortable Leia became and did his best to console the girl.

"Look what I'm trying to say is don't let your guard down. I'm pretty sure it's not gonna be that bad. Knowing Watto he'll probably make you clean up or something. Just have a little faith."

Leia's nerves calmed a bit at this possibility but she was still anxious and quite trembling. "Maybe you're right Razé . I'll try to do my best."

Razé sat up from his chair and washed his hands in the sink before speaking "I hope you do Leis cause we work for our rations and I don't know how to control Sebs when she's hungry." he joked.

Speaking of the devil, Seba entered the small room, hearing the sly comment from her fellow friend.

"You were never able to control me period. Now c'mon kids" she made sure to emphasize the kid part and got some fruit from the conservator before heading out. "We're gonna be late."

Leia's anxiety levels were rising yet again causing her to sweat at the thought of the day. When both Razé and Leia stood up from the round cherry wood table, Razé placed his hands on her small shoulders as a gesture for comfort.

"Relax Leis just take deep breaths" he instructed.Leia followed his orders and let out a sigh that's been held in for a while. "Better?" He asked. Leia only shook her head in agreement as the two made their way towards the exit of the small flat.

Cantina

The drive towards the cantina was pretty short compared to what Leia expected. Although the speeder was old and had wear and tears, it managed to do its job in a convenient time period. While on the way, Leia couldn't help but stare into the deserted landscape and the sand in particular. Although she hated sand with a passion, she wished she could've been on her uncle's farm, helping him collect water in the morning. A part of her wanted to jump and escape but she couldn't risk her head exploding from the thought alone.

Arriving at the cantina, Leia noticed how sketchy this side of Tatooine appeared. The town was similar to Mon Eisley in terms of the market place. However, the inhabitants seem far more dangerous and the streets seemed more run down. The town itself felt like another planet but the girl quickly glanced at the two suns and smiled discreetly at the thought of her still being under the same light as her uncle and aunt.

The building of the cantina was huge on the outside. Its beige walls were filled with flyers and posters of wanted criminals fleeing the Empire. Trash was disposed on the outsides of the one-story building and it had visibly no windows for the sunlight. The place alone wasn't meant for any child to wander in. Leia gulped and prepared herself for what laid indoors.

Upon entering the building with her housemates, Leia concluded that the outside indeed matched the inside. The stench from the dirt covering the walls made Leia want to vomit. There were numerous booths and tables surrounding the bar which was the center of the cantina. Around the walls of the room, contained private little sections with hookah machines on mini tables. Just at the far corner of the main room, lied a small stage presumably for a band. Leia couldn't tell whether the floors were naturally dark brown or if it was just filled with disgusting stains.

Razé immediately headed towards his area without hesitation while Seba turned towards the frightened girl who was biting her nails as a bad habit.

"Alright Leis, I'll be tending the bar if you need anything, I'll do my very best to help you out although I can't guarantee it. " the twi'lek offered patting the small child on her shoulder.

"Thanks Seba. I- " Suddenly, Watto approached the two females with slight frustration in his eyes.

"What are you two ladies doing? I'm hearing a lot of talking and seeing less cleaning." The toydarian announced. Seba gave Watto an apologizing look and quickly hurried to her station while Leia stood in place, unsure what to do.

"And you," he began pointing his dirty fingers at the child. "your job is to clean up after the customers and help Razé serve the customer if it gets too busy. Being that we open in a couple of hours, I need you to clean up this place starting with the refreshers. All cleaning supplies are to be found in the back room and if I catch you slacking just know I will punish you. Understand?" Watto asked.

"Yes sir" Leia obeyed and quickly headed to the back room and retrieved the supplies. At least the job wasn't too harsh from what she expected. The morning was quite productive in terms of cleaning the cantina. The hardest part would've been cleaning the refreshers as the little girl almost puked four different times. There were permanent stains on the toilets and areas that Leia gave up cleaning. To make the situation seem bearable, Leia let her imagination flow through her mind to keep her distracted while she cleaned. Her mind drifted to her dream with the young boy named Luke. She couldn't help but think about him especially his big blue eyes. Something about the boy made her feel safe and happy. The dream felt quite real and emitted such peace that she wished to revisit and feel the grass beneath her bare feet. If only that place actually existed. If only Luke was a real boy who could've taught her how to skip rocks on the lake.

Time flew by as Leia scraped the grime off of floors and wiped some tables clean. The cantina slowly began getting crowded which meant more messes and more cleaning. The place was diverse from aliens of different planets. In a way, Leia was in awe of the diversity and idea of people coming from different planets. She would then frown at the decisions of why they chose to reside in a planet filled with heat and sand.

Occasionally, the little girl would see Seba rolling her eyes from the bar or Razé delivering drinks to the cantina band. Leia had to admit, having a band play music was a great idea and the music was actually enjoyable. It drowned out loud yet explicit conversations some bounty hunters and smugglers had with eachother.

Six hours into the shift, Leia started feeling fatigued and hungry since the morning. Still, she manages to make her way to one of the VIP sections to clean the area up. In one of the booths, a party of 6 male aliens including Sullustans, Trandoshans, and Duros were rowdy as they consumed six pitchers of booze. When Leia entered the section, a green Duro spoke up gaining the little girl's attention.

"Hey you, why don't you come here and clean this up." The Duro yelled while Leia observed silently. The girl just rolled her eyes in response and finish cleaning an empty section next to theirs. Even though the party was a couple of feet away, Leia could smell the alcohol blazing through her nostrils.

"Are you deaf? I said come here and clean this up!" The Duro yelled again causing Leia to flinch. Leia looked around to see if she could spot Razé or Seba but they were too busy doing their own things. Taking a deep breath, the little girl gained some courage and approached them.

She couldn't explain why she had a sudden feeling to leave and not be within close proximity to them but she knew the consequences if she disobeyed.

"That's what I thought." The Duro stated as Leia began wiping the table.

"Why are the young ones so damn slow." The Transdoshan added taking a gulp of a red liquid from his cup. "Watto would be the dumbest specimen in the galaxy if he spent more than 80,000 credits on you."

The comment made Leia felt a surge of anger alone as she sucked her teeth and did her best to ignore the comment. The Duro noticed her frustration and got upset at Leia for not doing her job up to his expectations.

"No wonder why your parents didn't want you. You're almost as useless to them as you are to Watto." The Duro commented, which gathered a laugh from across the table. The next thing she knew, he took his cup and spilled a tiny portion of his drink back on the table. "Oops." Was all he said.

Leia felt anger coursing through her veins which made her ball her tiny fist up and give a cold glare straight to the nerf herder. The party must've been too drunk to notice the table shaking or the cups rattling and little before she knew, the glass that was in the Duro's hand broke causing the drink to splatter all over himself.

Leia was taken back by the sudden event that left her looking down on her hands. She couldn't have done that by herself, could she? How was it possible in the first place? No it was probably a figment of her imagination she thought.

Quickly changing her attitude, Leia grabbed a tablecloth from her kit and did her best to clean the new mess as quickly as she could. The four remaining party members remained quiet and the only thing that could be heard besides the cantina band was Duro's own rage boiling over.

"You stupid little bitch, you're definitely gonna get it now!" He yelled getting up from his spot and shook off the liquid and glass from his body. Leia froze in fear at the thought of what was going to occur next when Watto himself came up to the table.

"What is all of the commotion guys?" He asked, standing right next to little Leia.

"Your worthless piece of husk spilled my drink all over me! Not to mention the fact that she broke the cup. I don't know how she did it but she did!" The Duro explained, extremely aggravated. Watto carefully examined the little girl next to him who kept her head fearfully down.

"I didn't mean to I-" Leia began trying to explain her side of events. The next thing Leia knew was the feeling of heat across her cheeks with a powerful sting that immediately followed. Watto slapped the girl so hard that the sound could be heard from across the bar. Seba looked towards the two and looked remorseful for what had occurred. Leia felt tears flowing down her cheeks as she put her hand towards the right side. No one had ever hit her like that, not even her aunt and uncle.

"Get six new drinks from the bar NOW. If you hurt my customers or make a mess I will make sure you won't be able to smile again." Watto threatened. Leia nodded her head in obedience and headed straight towards the bar.

The party sounded estastic at the thought of free drinks and went back to their casual conversations. Leia however moved quickly towards the bar, wiping the remnants of hot tears from her cheeks. Seba looked extremely guilty upon seeing Leia upclose and personal. From the redness and swelling on the cheek, she already knew it was going to bruise. Leia did her best to put her brave face on and grimaced at the slight pain of changing facial expressions.

"Hey Seba. I need six new 'drink of the days'."Leia ordered, pretending to be unfazed by the incident. Seba could see right through it and wanted to comfort the girl. "That flying twig is gonna get it watch. Wait til I'm free." Seba mumbled to pitch only Leia could've heard.

"It's okay, I'm fine I promise." Leia reassured but Seba knew the girl was in pain. Seba rolled her eyes until a new idea popped in her mind. Before the child knew it, her housemate began speeding across the bar as if she was withering up some magical concoction. Leia has to admit, watching Seba in her area was quite interesting. It was only until the blue Twi'lek bent over and retrieved a can from an unlocked drawer.

"Um Sebs, what are you doing?" Leia asked confused about the scene before her. Seba ignored the question and whipped up six glasses and poured a clear red liquid from another bottle on the shelf. "That is for me to know and for your pretty brown eyes to find out." She said mischievously.

The next thing Leia saw was Seba opening an unknown can from earlier and poured a transparent liquid on top of each glass.

"What is that? Look I don't want to get into more trouble." Leia told her, shaking off the nerves from her hands.

"This my friend is what I call, payback." Seba grinned, putting the full glasses onto the tray Leia carried."When I get a customer who is a pain in my butt, I like to add my secret ingredient."

Leia was only skeptical of her friend and shook her head in disbelief. "I can't serve this to them. Like i said i don't wanna get in trouble."

"Relax kid, I put a laxative in the drink. You can't even taste the difference." Seba explained, wiping the bar top.

"What's a laxative?" The seven year old girl asked.

"Let's just say it's something that'll make you want to go do number 2."

Leia giggled, realizing the intelligence in her plan. She just hoped, for her sake, that the party couldn't taste the difference. Leia quickly took the tray and went towards the group of low life bounty hunters.

"Here you go." Leia stated, serving the table.

"About time!" The Duro exclaimed and followed his fellow peers by chugging the drinkS down. All Leia wanted to do was smile at Seba's plan coming into fruition. Still, she had to emit her best poker face to stay out of trouble.

Leia apologized once more and left the group alone when she saw Seba winking at her in the distance. After a couple of minutes downing the booze, Leia couldn't tell if the party were too drunk to notice or quite oblivious to what had occurred. One by one, each member stood up and stumbled their way to the bathroom, clenching their stomach.

No one had suspected a thing and although the day was probably the second worst day of her life, she had to be grateful of having someone like Seba by her side.

Time had quickly passed as her shift at the cantina finally ended. Leia was beyond exhausted. Dark circles appeared around her lifeless eyes. Her cheek were a a mixture of purple, yellow, and blue, accompanied by a slight stinging pain with any movement. She could hear her stomach grumbling in hunger and all she could've think about was laying down in her bed and going to sleep.

Arriving to her new home from the Cantina, Razé immediately headed straight towards the kitchen while Seba went upstairs to settle Leia presumed. Her nose caught a quick scent of something savory so she decided to follow it like it was treasure.

Razé finished heating up and preparing the rations when he saw the little girl enter the dining area. He didn't have to carefully observe Leia to know how awful the girl looked and was probably feeling. A quick glance at his new housemate and he knew the girl was fatigued and hungry.

"Hey Leis why don't you wash your hands and pour some water. The jug is in the conservator while the cups are in the small brown cabinet towards your right." Razé instructed while serving some bantha stew in three plates. The girl quickly obeyed, washing her hands and then retrieved three small glasses.

"Hey Razé can I ask you a question?" Leia asked, setting the glasses on the table.

"Shoot." Raze replied, retrieving the utensils from the drawer and put them in each bowl.

"Is Watto always that...mean?" Leia asked while getting the jug and poured water into the glasses.

Razé paused and reflected on the girls question. The first couple of months under Watto was quite tough for him. He remembered Watto hitting him and the ongoing sets of bruises applied each week. If it wasn't for Seba's carefulness and hospitality, he would've been covered in scars.

"Yes. I don't think that bug has one good wing in his greasy body." He answered and continued setting the meals on the table. "Here's a piece of advice, act like a droid. Never show your emotions or let them get to you. Watto will use that towards his advantage and try to feel more superior."

"Alright. I just don't want to feel humiliated again." Leia admitted, taking a seat on the dining table. Razé finished serving Seba's plate and took a seat across the table.

"I hope you don't." He said under his breath, hoping to change the subject.

Thankfully, Seba joined the pair and immediately sat down, drinking a cup of cold water.

"I am starving!" She exclaimed wiping the water from her lips. "Let's eat!"

———

Coruscant

The minacious Emperor stood in front of the window and admired the view of the buzzling city before him. What made coruscant beautiful was not the concrete skyscrapers or dazzling lights from the speeders. It was the imperial symbols illuminating off of the billboards and banners promoting the empire as empire day quickly approaches. Darth Sidious reveled in his power of creating such a powerful political system and the person he had to thank was his second in command, his apprentice.

If it weren't for Darth Vader, the Jedi would be roaming around the (fallen) temples a few blocks away with mace Windu celebrating his own death and demise. He would also thank his former collegue and friend Senator Amidala for fueling the passion within his successor. It was a pity that her death was a consequence of his rise to power but it had to be done.

Relishing in the moment, the Emperor experienced a swift tremor from the force, breaking him from his trance like state. Blazing amber eyes were wide open as he tried to find the source of such thing. Closing his eyes, Darth Sidious focused on the bond between his apprentice. Although Lord Vader was many systems away, he could still tap into the force and feel the emotions emulating from the apprentice.

The first thing Palpatine felt was guilt which wasn't unusual considering how hard his friend tried to forget the love of his life. Besides being a ruthless killing machine, he was always considered a king of self pity and loathe. Rolling his eyes, Sidious felt brief skepticism which intrigued his attention. What was the cause of skepticism in the first place? Did he obtain wrong information about the rebels? Was he questioning the authority of the empire? Sidious hissed at the possibility of treason within his own cabinet. If his apprentice even thought about overthrowing him, then he would vow to show no mercy no matter who it is.

The feeling of skepticism washed over into dread. The Emperor knew it had to be from the reports he ordered. He knew Darth Vader hates politics so he had to make sure his apprentice could fuel the hatred and become more powerful within the dark side.

Realizing the source of the tremor wasn't coming from his apprentice, Darth Sidious meditated trying to find its origin but with no prevail. This could only mean that there was a powerful force sensitive who knew how to mask themselves from him or a user who happens to be far away.

Either way, suspicion grew over the wrinkled face contemplating the source of such tremor. It felt faint but powerful. His mind drifted towards the idea of another powerful force sensitive within the galaxy. Although he made sure no Jedi would survive such tragedy, he wondered if any of the traitors manage to slip through his grasp.

Palpatine couldn't risk another potiential threat ruining his legacy of the Empire. He needed to find the source quickly and only one person was capable of finding them quickly with no hesitation _._

"Patch me to Lord Vader." He ordered to his royal guards.


	6. Chapter 6: Journey

Star Destroyer (Dantooine)

Distracting himself from the nightmare of earlier, Lord Vader managed to almost finish his report on the Raioballo sector of the Outer Rim. The planet of Dantooine had been relatively neutral under the Empire with no suspicions of treason. The only thing Vader despised was the fact that it was in the Outer Rim. He hated the idea of being relatively close to his home planet as it served a reminder of one of the most painful memories he experienced.

Darth Vader couldn't wait to return to the core worlds such as Coruscant being that it depicted signs of order and intelligence. In a timely manner, three loud knocks could be heard from the entrance of his office.

The sith apprentice hated being interrupted especially while working diligently. Who ever was behind the door must've had a good reason to intrude or else will be faced with the wrath of the force.

"You may enter." Lord Vader ordered.

A middle aged imperial officer bravely entered the office, trying his very best to uphold his facade. Darth Vader was extremely terrifying and he himself had witness several deaths of his former colleagues for being slightly irresponsible.

"Excuse the interruption milord, the Emperor is requesting your presence immediately." He informed, going straight to the point.

Lord Vader was somewhat pleased at the tenacity of the the officer. Usually, the stormtroopers and officers would fluster and stutter under his presence. He would find them too weak to serve under is command. However for the first time in a while, he didn't have resentment or feelings of annoyance towards the guy.

"Very well Admiral Piett. You may be dismissed." Vader ordered as he nodded and left almost immediately.

The sith rose from his chair and answered the holo in front of his desk. Soon, the image of a wrinkle old man appeared before him, causing Vader to bow under his presence.

"What is thy bidding my master." Vader kneeled.

"Lord Vader..." Emperor Palpatine dragged with a smile across his face. Palpatine loved seeing his apprentice kneeling before him which proved his dominance "You may rise my friend."

Lord Vader followed the commands and stood up after a couple of seconds. He hated the fact that his suit gave him limited mobility and kneeling only made his discomfort worse. Sensing his discomfort, Darth Sidious laughed at his apprentice. He loved feeling the hatred and discomfort of his second in command. It gave him more power from the dark side of the force.

"How is the report coming along?" Darth Sidious asked with his hands interlocking with one another.

"Almost finished my master. Dantooine poses no threat and remains loyal towards the Empire." Darth Vader answered. "I alerted my pilots to make the jump to hyperspace within 0300 hours as we will return to Coruscant within two days."

"Good good. The Empire must remain strong and united under imperial forces which is why I have a special task for you my apprentice."

Darth Vader was happy that his mask could hide the look of his annoyed, dismembered face. "How can I serve you my master?"

"I sense a great disturbance in the force. I want you to find **who** created such tremor and eliminate them at once."

Finally, Darth Vader was happy to be back in action then confined within four white walls. The only thing he despised was the possibility of staying in the Outer Rim any longer. "As you wish my master but where shall I start the search?"

Palpatine haven't actually thought where to start or who to look for. All he knew was that there was somebody out there potientally as powerful as him that posed as a high threat against the Empire. "Investigate every corner within the Outer Rim. Whoever caused the disturbance must have fled into hiding within the least suspictable location. If the source so happens to be a remnant of the Jedi order, bring them to me at once."

"I understand my master." Vader said silently gritting his teeth at the confirmation of his worries.

"Do not fail me my friend or your punishment will be twice as brutal." Darth Sidious warned. Vader could see a pair of amber eyes glowing underneath the robes and he winced at the thought of getting electrocuted by his master again.

"I promise I will not fail you." Vader pleaded to the Sith Lord.

"Good my apprentice. I leave you be." Palpatine dismissed leaving the sith apprentice alone within his office. Lord Vader then went straight towards the comm situated on his desk.

"Admiral Piett." Vader stated, waiting for the response from the officer. To his pleasure, the officer responded quickly, earning more respect.

"Yes milord." Piett responded with ease.

"Set course for Batuu."

———

The soft touch of woven linen sheets felt like heaven for the little girl. Leia Skywalker was more than happy to finally be in the comfort of her new bed at her new home. Today had been rough for the young girl as tingling pain still lingered across her cheeks. Her mind drifted to the events of earlier especially the moment where the cup broke in the hand of the Duro.

Could she have possibly have done that? She didn't know but she somehow she felt something coursing through her veins. The only time she's ever felt something similar was when she found the grave of her late grandmother in the back of the farm. All Leia remembered was feeling intense sadness to the point where droplets of water could be seen lifted from the sand that surrounded her.

She didn't tell her aunt and uncle because she didn't want to be seen as a freak or possibly get in trouble.

Leia felt tiredness approaching her and closed her eyes, hoping to revisit her new favorite place even if it was just a dream.

——-

 _Light shined through her eyelids causing Leia to open her eyes slowly at the brightness. To her luck, she was in the same exact place with the sweet scent of fresh flowers by her side._

 _Taking in the scenery, Leia let the grass fiddle under her fingertips and took a deep breath, tasting the clean air that surrounded her. Unlike the previous dream she had, the skies were painted blue and pink with the suns either rising or setting. Leia couldn't tell but all she knew was the fact that it was extremely pretty especially at the view of the skies reflection on the water._

 _The only thing that was missing was her new found friend with the ice crystals eyes she found warmth in. Scanning her surroundings for the boy, she found no source of the blond hair which caused her to frown._

 _All of a sudden, she felt a comforting breeze flowing around her as if it was trying to hug her from the sorrows she experienced._

 _"Leia?" A childish voice called behind her, causing the girl to turn her body towards the sound._

 _"Luke!" Leia exclaimed, getting up from the grass and ran straight towards the boy. She didn't know what overcame her or why she decided to hug a complete stranger but she did._

 _Luke was surprised at the girl's boldness but immediately returned the embrace of his new friend. Leia felt so familiar towards him that he didn't think twice about approaching her. After all, she was an angel according to him._

 _Breaking the embrace, Luke shyly waved at Leia with a bit of awkwardness towards the situation. Leia noticed a sense of discomfort and blushed completely._

 _Luke noticed the girl turned extremely pink and was confused at her demeanor. "What happened to your cheeks?" He asked._

 _Leia's facial expression turned serious as she remembered the bruises that formed from earlier. When she went touch her face she noticed that she experienced no form of pain but decided that the bruise was still there._

 _"It's a long story, I-" she began when the boy bursted with a fit of giggles._

 _"It looks just like the outside of a pink dragon fruit." He laughed. He could sense the girl was embarrassed and blushed a bit too hard._

 _"Oh." Leia replied nervously. He was talking about how rosy her cheeks had gotten; not the bruise. Leia felt at ease and laughed along with her pal._

 _"At least my hair isn't the same color as sand." She retorted which made Luke's eyes roll playfully._

 _Luke then ran towards her and tapped her on the shoulder, and ran away. Confused, Leia shouted at the boy by his questionable actions. "What was that for?"_

 _"It's called tag and you're it!" Luke responded happily. He then noticed Leia standing in place and stopped for a brief moment in the distance._

 _"What's tag?" She asked, arching her eyebrow._

 _"What? You never played tag before?" He asked in disbelief. Leia nodded her head 'no' to which he replied_

 _"It's a game where you have to run away from the person who got tapped and make sure they don't catch you!"_

 _"Oh" Leia finally understood and gave off a mischievous grin. The next thing Luke knew was the fact that a little brunette girl was running rapidly towards him to which he bolted away from her._

 _Unbeknownst to the two children, a pair of eyes watched in the distance hiding themself behind a large tree._

~~~

 _What felt like hours later, the two kids took a break from playing tag with Leia boasting with pride. She managed to become quite good at the game despite only playing it the first time. Luke was a bit of a sore loser but decided to hide it because of what his parents taught him._

 _The children then laid on the soft grass and stared at the clouds together. From there, they both learned about each other's favorite things and hobbies. Leia learned Luke love building space cruiser models and flying. She also had a knack for building things but confessed that she's never been to space before._

 _Luke sat up and opened his eyes widely at that information. "You never been to space before?"_

 _Leia could hear the shock from his voice and shrugged it off like it was nothing. "No, but by the looks of it I'm guessing you have." She answered watching the cloud that resembled a droid._

 _"Well it was only one time to Coruscant with my papa. My mom didn't want me to go but my dad thought it was good that I learned about history. The stars was so pretty" He informed reminiscing about the trip a year ago._

 _"I can't wait to see it when I wake up one day" Leia started. However she instantly became sad to which Luke noticed the abrupt change in her mood._

 _"What wrong Leia?" The boy asked, looking directly at her. He noticed that her gaze shifted from the sky to somewhere in the distance presumably the mountains. Tears started flowing across her rosy cheeks followed by a faint welp. This was the first time Luke saw the girl cry and he decided that he hated it._

 _As he stood up, Luke wiped the dirt from his hands and approached his friend who was still laying down on the grass. He then reached out his hand, where Leia grabbed it and stood up herself._

 _Luke gave her a warm hug and the same comforting breeze flew between the children._

 _"There there. I got you." Luke comforted the girl who then burst out of tears at such emotional words. She didnt know why she trusted the boy so easily especially with her emotions. He radiated so much peace that Leia did not want to let go at all. "My papa always does this to me when I'm sad too." Luke explained._

 _Leia just closed her eyes and reveled in his hug, not wanting to let go and show her face. "It's just that all of this is a dream and I don't want to want to wake up. You're not even real too." Leia rambled which caused Luke to break up the hug._

 _"Leia I am-" Luke began when loud buzzing sound pierced through the dream. Leia knew what was happening and a feeling of dread overcame her once again._

~~~

The sound of the alarm followed by loud snoring from the neighboring room, abruptly awoken Leia from her slumber. The girl sat up from her bed and gloomily climbed down the stairs from the bunk bed. Seba lied in bed awake groaning that the sound of the alarm clock.

Leia however shuffled her way towards the refresher, waking up Razé by knocking on his door loudly. Once in the refresher Leia looked in the mirror and noticed krust from her eyelids probably created from dried up tears from her sleep. Her bruise was a bright purple followed by her dark circles.

Turning on the faucet, Leia felt cool water drip from her fingertips and wiped her eyes. The only thing she was looking forward to was coming back home and falling asleep once again.

After turning off the faucet Leia looked at her self in the mirror once again and stared at the harsh reality that is now her life.

"Here we go again."

——

Hyperspace

The former Jedi master sat in the cockpit deep in thought, worrying about his 'niece'. Just day's ago his very own master told him to not intervene with the search of his former brother's daughter.

Remembering the times he met the little girl, he always noticed the raw strength she carried within the force. He had to commend the child for being more composed than her brother when it came to shielding herself from the power.

He had to admit, Luke's force presence was blinding compared to Leia's. Even Bail who was a non force sensitive felt how powerful Luke was especially when he had anxiety/panic attacks. It was one of the main reasons why he made trips to Aldeeran a few times. Luke needed to have some sort of training before unintentionally exposing himself in the force.

The trips to Alderaan has been quite successful previously. Obi-Wan knew Leia could manage a couple of days without his surveillance. Only now, he realized how much of a mistake that was. Now the poor girl had probably been captured or even hurt.

If Darth Vader were to ever find out, he'd be a dead man walking.


	7. Desperation

***Trigger warning: Mentions of sexual assault. Although it's not explicit and minor, please be aware. The rating is going to be changed with the progression of the story. ***

Lar's homestead

It's been a few days since Leia got lost on the streets of Mon Eisley. Owen and Beru Lars lived with the consequences each passing moment, knowing that somewhere out there, their little niece was suffering from both of their irresponsibility.

For the past couple of days, Beru and Owen took turns searching for any clues on the disappearance of their niece but with no prevail. The merchant where Leia was last seen, left to another town. On top of it all, Owen's client never came through with their deal, disrupting their financial stability.

Owen suffered the most with the loss of their niece. Sleep was hard for the guy being that his mind replayed the day over and over again and made him feel like it was all his fault. Still, he managed to get up every morning early hoping that he can find some hope on her whereabouts.

Today it was his turn to go to the market and explore different avenues of the investigation. Obi-Wan was still on his way to Tatooine and time was of the essence.

Sitting up from the bed, he noticed his wife was wide awake and experienced another sleepless night too. "How are you feeling?" He asked, easing up the aura within the chamber.

"Horrible dear. I couldn't sleep last night if you could tell." She confessed. Beru was just as frustrated at her husband with the little progress that had been made.

"Neither did I. I'm going to get a head start to the market today and hopefully find some news we've been looking for." Owen suggested. Beru sighed, clearly unhappy with his answer.

"The speeder is running low on fuel Owen. Not only we don't have the money, but I think it's best if we took a break." Beru advised. Owen was shocked that his wife proposed this, to begin with. His wife was just pestering him from the other day to not stop investigating no matter what.

"Are you sure about that honey? What if we get a break today? What if we found her?" Owen optimistically implied. Meanwhile, Beru was not having it and massaged her temples in dissatisfaction.

"Dear, don't you understand? The trips to the market are costing us more credits then we can actually afford. The only person who could help us is still days away. Besides, whatever happened to the client who made a deal with you the other day?" Beru inquired, sitting up from the bed herself.

Owen didn't know what happened to the client who promised him a lot of credits for gallons of water. Reflecting back into the meeting, the client kept insisting that Leia explore the market while making the deal. Suddenly a revelation came across his visage and his skin turned pale, frightening his wife beside

him.

"Honey what's wrong? It looks like you just seen a ghost." Beru stated, patting her husbands back for some comfort.

"I think I know who kidnapped our niece." Owen declared.

Beru's heart sank completely at the new piece of information. "Who?" She asked standing up from her said and stood directly before him.

"It was the client, the Rakata to be exact." Owen said with disgust. Anger consumed his mind. How could he be so stupid to not recognize the signs before him? His client bailed right after Leia disappeared. The same client who pestered him into leaving a seven year old girl at the market and promising to keep an eye out too.

Beru was speechless at this accusation. This is the first major lead they got within days and they had to trust their gut and follow it. "Owen we need to tell Obi-Wan now!" Beru exclaimed to which Owen nodded and retrieved the commlink by his bedside drawer. The couple left the commlink close just in case the former Jedi master called with any new updates.

Dialing the number, Beru wanted to for Obi-Wan to pick up almost instantly. Her patience was already growing thin.

"Hello Beru." Obi-Wan greeted from his ship. It seemed as if the couple interrupted his meditation.

"Ben! We just got some good news" Beru shouted while Owen was walking back and fourth with anticipation.

"We know who took Leia!" Owen finished, yelling across the room.

Obi-Wan noticed the enthusiasm and commotion going on but couldn't hear the revelation from his end. "Let calm down for a second, are you certain Leia had been kidnapped? If so, that's a strong accusation."

Owen couldn't believe how passive Ben was being. It was one of the reasons why he couldn't stand the old man in the first place. "Do you hear yourself? Leia has been missing for DAYS and you want us to calm down?"

Obi-Wan sighed and was very grateful that the Jedi order taught him about patience. If not, his head would've probably exploded.

"I understand your frustration Owen but your emotions can cloud your judgement as well as credibility. If we can calm down for a bit, we could gain a greater sense of clarity that would benefit Leia's situation."

Beru silently agreed with Obi-Wan by placing her hand on top of her husbands. Owen looked at Beru for confimation before taking a deep breath.

"Very well. A few days ago, I made a deal with a Rakata in the market. He offered me around 15,000 credit for gallons of water. On top of that, he insisted for Leia to wander off and explore; promising that he would keep his eyes on her too." Owen explained his side of the story. Hearing himself, he realized how foolish he was for trusting someone he only met that day.

Obi-Wan was silent, as if he was contemplating and verifying Owen's story. Beru couldn't take the silence but was relieved when the old man shared his thoughts.

"Was the client with you at all times?" Obi-Wan questioned, stroking his blond and silver beard.

"Y-yes but-" Owen started but was interrupted by a furious Beru.

"What?!?! I thought you said he kidnapped her? Why did you leave this important piece of information out?" Beru shouted at her husband.

"Owen might be on to something. It is indeed a good lead." Obi-Wan finally stated causing the bickering couple to become silent. "He must've been in on the situation and had an accomplice of some sort."

"Now that I think about it, the merchant did say he had a lot of customers that day but the only person I saw was a Toydarian I think. The only reason I said that was cause I remembered the horrible stench that accompanied him." Owen clarifed, looking towards his wife who had her mouth open.

As soon as Owen mentioned a toydarian, Obi-Wan had a sinking feeling at what could've occurred to the young girl. Memories filled Obi-Wan's mind, remembering the nine year old boy he met all those years ago. Anakin was a slave to a grimy toydarian named Watto to be exact. If she was indeed kidnapped by a Toydarian, then there's only one conclusion on what occurred to the young girl. Oh how the force had a way of repeating itself.

"Both of you might want to sit down and what I'm going to tell you." Obi-Wan suggested with seriousness depicted in his tone.

Owen and Beru became extremely nervous and sat down waiting in agony for what Ben would say next.

"I'm afraid Leia had been bought into slavery." Obi-Wan deliverered a shocking blow to the couple who nearly fainted at the thought alone. A loud cry could've been heard coming from Beru to which Owen had to wrap his arm for support.

"Ben you have to come as fast as you can. No one should be sold into slavery especially to a seven year old girl. I don't think she could survive any longer." Owen pleaded to his nemesis.

Obi-Wan felt stuck during this situation especially since his master forbade him from intervening any more. His thoughts then drifted to his brother who he failed tremendously with. He also failed saving Padmé and couldn't risk failing their daughter too.

At that moment, Obi-Wan did the unthinkable. He decided to go against his master for good.

"I will do my best to make it as fast as I can"

~~~~~

Cantina

Leia was getting pretty used to working at the cantina with her housemates. Only yesterday was a teaching moment especially since she had to get used to the lifestyle very quickly. The cantina however was more packed compared to the day before. More smugglers and bounty hunters gathered and played a game of Dejarik, even going as far as betting credits for the winner.

This only meant that Leia had to help Razé serve a lot of booze to the rowdy crowd. Today, she decided to mind her business and do the job best to her degree without getting hurt for it.

Getting the purple drinks from the bar, Leia headed to one of the VIP booths located in the back of the cantina. Her nostrils flared at the scent of sweet flavored fumes decorating the air.

When Leia reaches towards the table, she was immediately greeted by two human females and one Nautolan. "Why hello there pretty lady. What do you have in store for us today." The male Nautolan asked.

"Here are the drinks you ordered." Leia informed placing the purple liquid filled cups around the round table. Leia was happy that this party seemed more polite compared to yesterday.

"Why thank you." One of the human females appreciated while the other smiled. Leia noticed that both of the pale skinned purple haired females were dressed in revealing outfits showing their chest and lower body.

The girl was slightly disgusted and wanted to leave instantly when she felt a scaly hand grab her hand.

"Why don't you come here and sit on my lap? I can bring you out of the hell hole and grant all of your wishes" he said seductively.

Leia felt the man pull her closer to him, releasing her hand from his grasp. The male alien then put his hand and started caressing her arm up and down.

"I have to go. I-I have a job to do and my boss would be mad at me." Leia said, brushing them off trying to find an excuse to leave. Her heart began pacing as the girl became extremely uncomfortable.

"Alright then I hope to see more of you beautiful." Leia heard the guy say right as she was leaving. Picking up the pace, Leia headed straight towards the bathroom and turned the sink on, wanting to soak her arm in the dirty water. Hot tears were streaming down her cheeks and when she went to look in the mirror, she could barely recognize the relflection staring back at her.

In the next few moments, the mirror cracked which made Leia flinch. Did she do that or was the cracks already there?

~~~

The Nautolan couldn't stop thinking about the small girl he met moments ago. She was so mesmerizing yet so small that he had to have her. Watto was so happen passing by when he heard the customer calling his name.

"Hey Watto!" The blue skinned alien yelled over the loud cantina band music.

"If it isn't my friend Regu! Nice to see ya man." Watto grinned, shaking the alien's hands with his fist.

"Same to you my old friend. Listen How much are you selling that young lady you got?" Regu questioned which caught Watto off guard.

"I just bought her. I ain't selling her anytime soon." Watto told him, firm with his response.

Regu looked disappointed but didn't want to give up his chance with the small brunette. "How about I rent her from you?" He proposed.

Watto looked apprehensive and Regu noticed it as well. "Before you say anything I'll pay you 70,000 credits per night for one week?"

The Toydarian was surprised at the amount of money his friend was willing to offer for the child. He had to admit, she was extremely useful around the cantina and he needed her now more than ever. Still he couldn't pass up the amount of credits.

"How about I lend her to you within two days? Deal?" Watto offered. It seemed to sound like a good deal when the Nautolan only grinned back at him.

"You have yourself a deal."

——

Batuu

Lord Vader initiated his search on the temperate planet filled with forests and mountains. The planet was known for its popular trading outpost, where species of all planets gather and conduct buisnesss. If anyone had any information about any force user, they'll most likely be here.

Upon entering a tavern located in ancient ruins, powerful footsteps could be heard entering the building followed by the spark and hiss of a scarlet lightsaber. Every person in the tavern froze in fear at the image of the horrifying killing machine standing right before them.

Darth Vader loved the fact that he had such control over the peasants and felt fueled by their fear of him. He had the option to dispatch a team of stormtroopers to help his search but they would be no match against any force user regardless the side they practiced.

The sith apprentice threw his lightsaber directly at the bartender, slicing the poor Lurman in half. He needed to solidify his presence and the bartender just so happened to be the first target he laid his eyes upon.

Hearing a loud thud creaking on the dirty wooden floor, everyone in the tavern screamed and ran for their lives outside the building. Lord Vader only smiled under his mask, loving to play a game of hunt if necessary. However, he noticed a Weequay still sitting down in one of the booths, drinking his booze like nothing occurred. This little detail caught Vader's attention as he called his lightsaber back to his hand.

"I'm not scared of you." Came a older voice from the man sitting in the booth. He could be seen stirring the liquid in his cup, then downing the spicy drink in his throat.

Darth Vader powered down his lightsaber and clasped it towards his belt. He then decided to use the old fashion method to scare his enemies when they were being difficult. Calling to the dark side of the force, the sith apprentice pulled his fingers towards himself and dragged the Weequay from the booth, directly in front of him.

"You would be foolish to face me and my power." Vader said, observing every detail of the tan, dried skin. The Weequay did his best to keep up the facade but he silently cursed at himself for not being drunk enough to handle the situation. Being in front of the infamous black mask made him squirm under his grip from the force.

"I would be blind to follow the Emperor's puppet and succumb in fear." The alien gasped, surprising Vader even more.

Lord Vader had to commend the guy for holding his bravado for so long. He could see the sweat dripping down his forehead and eyes blinking faster per second.

"Tell me what you know about the remaining Jedi you rebel sympathizer." Vader accused. His hatred was only treasonous and punishable by death at this point.

"I don't know anything. Even if I did, I will never tell you." The alien stated, closing his eyes. He couldn't face Vader any further without getting scared completely.

"You no longer have any use for me." The authoritative voice informed, extending his wrist towards the victim. The Weequay felt his airways closing causing him to open his eyes once again. He could feel the pain of losing his life in a split second and decided that he wanted to live instead.

"W-wait. G-go to Tat-" The Weequay tried saying, unable to breath any longer. Vader perked up at this slight confession and eased his grip around the alien's neck.

"Go to the cantina in Mos Espa. There's a Nautolan who knows a bounty hunter who captured a padawan." He confessed, taking a deep breath and relishing the oxygen in his lungs. Vader searched his mind for any clues on his betrayal but found nothing of some sort.

Released from his grasp. The Weequay put his hand on his throat and massaged his neck. He had been grateful to be spared in this situation until Vader slowly approached him."Your compliance to the Empire will be payed rewardly."

The alien began to express his grattiude when a loud snap drained all signs of life within his eyes. Another loud thud graced the floorboards as Vader swiftly turned around and exited the cantina. Retrieving his commlink, Lord Vader called Admiral Piett, who instantly picked up.

"How can I help you Milord?" The stern imperial officer asked.

"Prepare the ship course to Tatooine." Vader announced. He absolutely loathed the planet as it brought up painstaking memories of the first woman he truly loved. Darth Vader wanted nothing to do with his past life and this trip will only serve as a reminder for the mistakes he'd done.

"Yes milord."

——-

Cantina

Leia did her very best to forget what had occurred several hours before. The Nautolan kept eyeing her across the distance as she tried to avoid that area of the cantina. The only thing she was happy about was the fact that her shift was almost over and that she could finally sleep her worriness away. It came to the point where the child wasn't even hungry as much to when she first became a slave.

Storing the cleaning supplies in the old utility closet, Watto approached the child unexpectedly, startling her as a result.

"You proved to be quite helpful today." Watto noticed, his tone different than usual. Leia closed the door and turned to her capture, trying her best to remain calm and collected. "Thank you sir." to which she replied.

"Within two days, you'll be staying with a very good friend of mine for a week." He told her which made Leia even more nervous from before. She had a slight suspicion on who it was but didn't want to face the fact to begin with.

"Whom may I ask?" She eyed the Toydarian, noticing his big bottom tooth on full display.

"His name is Regu, I believe you guys met already. He's paying me a lot of credits so you better behave." He threatened which made Leia want to vomit before him.

At that very moment death sounded like a sweet option she couldn't refuse.

~~~

The drive back home proved to be quite awkward between the three roommates. Seba and Razé discussed their day nonchalantly while Leia leaned towards the side view of the speeder.

"Could you believe that Dengar fellow had the nerve to flirt with me? Me out of all people? I'm a solid ten meanwhile he's a three on a good day." Seba explained to Razé who grimaced at the thought of the drunken newcomer.

"A ten? You mean a ten multiplied by zero am I right Leis?" Razé joked which caused Seba to pat his knee playfully.

Leia wasn't really paying attention to the conversation from the backseat and simply shrugged "yeah." Seba glanced at the rear view mirror noticing the girl's somber expression. Razé was too busy laughing to notice and Seba made a mental note to address her once they reached home.

Upon arriving at the small flat, Razé sat at the broken couch and took off his shoes while Seba hanged her jacket at the makeshift coat rack. Leia quickly took off her shoes and ran straight upstairs towards the room, closing the door behind her. Both Razé and Seba exchanged confused looks which made Seba follow behind the girl.

A soft sound of three light taps could be heard from the door to which Leia yelled "come in." from the top of her bunk. Although it was her room as well, Seba respected her privacy and wanted to know if she could come in.

"Leis? What's wrong sugar?" Seba asked gently, noticing the girl cradling herself with the blanket.

"It's nothing I promise." Leia lied through her teeth. She didn't want either of her housemates to worry about her at all. Luckily, Seba was smart enough to know it was lie and pestered the girl further.

"If it was nothing, you would've been downstairs listening to Razé boast about being a chef for the third day in a row." Seba told the girl, trying to ease up the mood and continued. "You know you can tell me right?"

Leia debated telling the truth to her friend who was standing on her bunk, peaking at her. The little girl felt like she was alone and had to fend for herself since the day she was sold into slavery. She also remembered her Uncle Owen telling her to always be honest with herself and never keep way something that's bothering you. Plus, both Razé and Seba proved to be genuine people.

Wiping her tears with her pale white fingers, Leia shifted her position towards the Twi'lek who was staring directly at her. "Some guy touched my arm weird and Watto told me I had to say with him for a week." She explained.

Seba already knew what had transpired based on the information and felt sudden rage boil over. It was one thing for the little girl to be sold into slavery but another thing to get sexually harassed. If it was up to Seba, she would find this person and poison their drink on the spot.

Unfortunately, Seba felt powerless, unsure what to with the situation. She could plan an escape for Leia but the small microchip in her head would cause more harm than good. Instead, Seba extended her hands and gently caressed Leia's left cheek.

"Baby girl, if I could protect you and Razé from harm, I would in a heartbeat. You guys are my family believe it or not and I would be extremely devastated if something happened to you. " the Twi'lek comforted

Her words felt like protective silk blanket, covering her from the insecurities and nightmares of the harsh reality. Although Seba wasn't her Aunt Beru, she was damn near close to being a mother figure to her.

"Th-thank you." She wimpered, feeling sentimental from the overflow of emotions within her. Seba meanwhile gave the child a sympathetic look when her eyebrows furrowed together, showing a question generating in her head.

"When are you leaving?" The Twi'lek asked curiously, creating a scheme in her head. Leia could sense the woman was up to something. She could feel the mischievous side of Seba breaking in, similar to the incident with the Duro.

"In two days... why?" Leia asked skeptically, slowly uncovering herself from the blankets. Seba got off from standing in the bottom bunk and began pacing back and forth across the room. She would fidget her blue fingers behind her back .

"I might have a way to take care of the problem but you need to trust me." Seba realized, earning an immediate disapproval from the child.

"No." Leia flat out stated . Seba would not get in trouble over her. She would not let her housemate take the fall if something were to happen. Watto especially had a heavy hand when it came to discipline and he would show no mercy regardless of what occurred. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

Seba scoffed at the little girls' concerns. The blue Twi'lek had been through her share of torture by the slimy hands of her oppressor. With each smack across her face or bruises from being shackled, Seba became immune to the possible consequences of rebellion. Razé had always remind her to be cautious and always looked out for her safety. Now, it was Leia who had been doing the same.

"Im gonna tell you something I told Razé when he was just your age. Look, I'm basically the adult in this situation and had been in filthy place since you and Razé been in diapers. I know how to work the system Leia. You just have to trust me." Seba explained, while Leia sat up from the bed.

Leia still was skeptical of Seba's vague plan. Seba was an adult and she probably experienced worse situations than the child. The thought of Seba being a slave since birth made Leia extremely upset especially since she was one of the most kindest and strongest person she known (even if they met in a short period of time.) Seeing the Twi'lek as a living personification of determination, Leia had to remove any doubt in her gut and trust her.

"I will." Leia declared, earning a smile from her older friend. Seba perked up at the girl's ability to confide in her, promising herself to keep her word. "Good. Why don't you take a shower and change while Razé prepares the rations. I have some research to do." Seba suggested and left with an extra pep in her step.

Leia let out a sigh and wiped away the crust from her eyelids. Something in her intuition felt different. A sinking feeling in her stomach left the girl nauseous for some odd reason. Perhaps it was due to her nerves or her mind overthinking worst case scenerios. Maybe a trip to the refresher would make the small brunette feel better.


	8. Hope

Snowflakes fell on the glass window panes, quietly observed by a pair of crystal blue eyes. The gaze seemingly complimented the glacial weather, covering the mountainous landscape of Alderaan.

"Luke? Where are you?" A childlike feminine voice called out in the distance. Soft footsteps could be heard, trying to find the location of the boy.

The enormous palace not only held opulent rooms, but it also contained several art galleries and libraries. Every kid would dream to have the royal palace as their personal playground. However, it only made him feel more lonely. A blond hair boy could be seen sitting by the windowsill, resting his head on his tiny hands, looking at the sky. Watching nature eased the pain of isolation for the kid as it was his favorite thing to do.

"In my mama's study." The child replied. The Queen's study is the main library located in the royal palace. It contained books favorited by his mother's predecessors and held several historical texts dating back to the old republic.

Breha didn't really like Luke spending majority of his time in the library. He was probably the only child she knew who wanted to stay at home and not play. Still, she didn't reprimand her son and force him to do something against his wishes.

"Luke! There you are!" The silver-haired girl said ecstatically, happy to find her friend and ran towards him. "Do you want to build a snowman's with me?"

Luke always admired Winter's energy. Compared to himself, Winter was very energetic and outgoing. Sometimes, it took a quite amount of energy to keep up with the special little girl. "Not really...sorry" Luke turned and replied apologetically.

Winter, however, became slightly frustrated with her best friend. She always knew Luke loved to watch the snow or raindrops falling from the skies. What she didn't understand was why the boy didn't want to go outside and experience what nature had to offer. "Fine. Why don't we play hide and seek?" She suggested, not giving up.

Luke wasn't really in the mood to play games with his friend but he also didn't want to hear her complain. Winter always made it known when Luke was acting like a bad friend. Honestly, he would sometimes feel guilty for the way he treated her. "Sure." Luke caved in, earning a tight hug from his companion.

"Yay!" She exclaimed before continuing "Here's the only rule; we can only hide within the library. I don't want a repeat of last time." Winter recalled to the time they were playing hide and seek once where she hid in the royal maidens quarter while Luke was searching in the kitchens. Long story short, Luke ended up eating freshly made cookies while Winter took a nap underneath one of the beds.

Luke was a bit hesitant playing in the Queen's study. His mother always told him about the importance of maintaining the texts and holocrons in perfect conditions for future generations. He didn't want to get in trouble for accidentally damaging one of the books. "Okay Win but be careful. Mama says these books are really important."

"Yeah yeah I will. Now c'mon! I'll be the seeker." She said, closing her eyes and turning around. Luke immediately got up from his favorite spot and waited for the countdown. "Til 30 okay? One, two, three..." she started, covering her eyes in her hands.

Luke quickly ran, making sure his footsteps were light as possible. The library was huge, any person could get lost with the number of books available. Scanning between each aisle, Luke couldn't find the perfect spot to his liking. With only fifteen seconds left, Luke chose an aisle containing Alderaanian fairytales and headed towards the back wall.

Something caught the child's eye as he noticed a steel wardrobe he barely saw throughout his lifetime. It was as if it was calling for it to be opened. Luke couldn't take the chance of getting caught and decided to hop inside and closed the metal door lightly.

"29, 30! Ready or not here I come!" Winter yelled in a comfortable distance. If Luke wasn't small in nature, the wardrobe would've been seen as a tight fit. Something kept poking his leg, making him feel slightly uncomfortable. When Luke retrieved the object, a blue projection illuminated the wardrobe, reflecting off the pupils of his light eyes.

A projection of a young woman dressed in regal attire greeted the child's curious eyes. The women looked extravagant. Although the holo was blue, Luke could tell the woman was wearing heavy makeup with two small circles on her cheeks.

What made the child's eyes wander in amazement was not the lavish hairpiece covered by her dark hair. It also wasn't also the sophisticated yet alluring royal attire. It was those piercing dark eyes that reminded him of the girl he met in his dreams.

If he thought Leia reminded of an angel, then the woman before him was probably an actual one. The child couldn't keep his eyes off the Holocron when a fresh cool breeze followed by a melodic voice, scared the crap out of him.

"I found you!" Winter said which made a scared Luke fumble the Holocron and drop it in the floor. The projection immediately turned off which frightened the boy even further. "What were you doing?" She asked while her eyebrow arched in curiosity.

Luke's face turned pale at the realization of breaking one of his mother's important artifacts. "Oh no no no no." Luke panicked picking up the device from the floor. " I was just looking at this holo but I think I broke it."

"Just put it back where you found it. I'm pretty sure your mother wouldn't notice." Winter said, trying to calm her timid friend down. Luke hoped she was right and did his very best to return it in the same exact spot and closed the door.

"I think I want to build a snowman now," Luke said, making Winter chuckle in response.

——-

Mos Espa Tatooine

The heat of the twin suns shined over the trio as they departed their flat for another shift at the cantina. Leia obtained a painful headache from her lack of sleep last night. After talking to Seba, the girl still felt uneasy from her mysterious plan to the point where her appetite didn't make an appearance. All Leia wanted to do was go to sleep once again and wander in the beautiful fields she became familiar with.

However, her anxiety became prevalent to the point where she wasn't able to dream about anything let alone try due to Razé's snoring too. Razé noticed Leia's absence during dinner and tried to feed her some fruit in the morning. The girl still didn't budge claiming to be full with just a glass of milk.

Upon arriving in the cantina, Leia went straight towards the utility closet and was unusually silent throughout the whole speeder ride causing Razé to look confused at Seba.

Seba only shrugged her shoulders and headed straight towards the bar where some early-bird customers came and sat.

One of the few customers at the bar was no other than a known admirer of Seba. Looking at the fully armored bounty hunter, Seba rolled her eyes and greeted the man.

"Why if it isn't the infamous bounty hunter, Dengar." Seba began sarcastically. "Aren't you a little too early to be drinking?" She said, grabbing a cloth and wiping the counter.

"You know I can't get enough of you love. You're the only person who can fancy up firewater in no time." He flirted, hoping to get a reaction from the Twi'lek.

Seba pulled out a bottle and poured the firewater into a small glass and pushed it carelessly towards Dengar. Although she was under Watto's ownership, it didn't mean that she had to take any bullshit from anyone.

"You do know I'm a slave right? This thing between us isn't real and it's never going to happen." She stated, continuing to wipe the counter.

To anyone else, Seba's disrespectful tone would earn her hard discipline but to Dengar, it made him like her more. "Who's to say that I can't buy you on my next job?" He imagined which made Seba nervous. The last thing she wanted was to get bought from some self-centered slum. She also remembered the type of jobs he'd get to acquire such credits in the first place. Dengar noticed how pale she turned and tried to comfort her nerves.

"Don't worry love it's quite simple. I find a bounty, kill them swiftly and then claim credits worth your life. No torture is involved." He explained, generating a smirk on his thin lips.

Seba tried to play it cool and put her small fears aside. "What makes you think that you can save your money when you spend it all on booze." She retorted, putting the cloth under the counter.

"You are worth much more than some cheap booze beautiful." He told her which made Seba gagged slightly. Thinking back to hearing his job process, an idea quickly formed in her head shoving all thoughts of disgust aside.

"Speaking about killing a bounty, what method would you suggest for killing a target discreetly." She asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

Dengar swallowed the strong brown liquid down his throat and signaled for another one. "You can't get rid of me that easy mate. Besides, why do you want to know?"

Seba had to find a quick excuse fast and easy. She decided to then play the situation in her favor. "Well let's say after you supposedly buy me and I decided I want to work with you. I want to kill someone as swift as possible with no torture involved. What do I do?" She asked, pouring another shot of firewater. Dengar seemed to be pleased with her suggestion.

"Well when a client wants to assassinate a member of their own party, I genuinely go undercover and craft my special elixir. Then I put it in their drink and poof they're gone. To address the other point, I would never want to put you in harm's way by working with me."

Seba was genuinely shocked to see how respectful Dengar was under his facade. Still, she wondered if he had one of his special elixirs in hand. "How do I make one of your supposed creation?"

"That's a secret only I would know. Besides what would stop me from telling that spineless mosquito you're planning to commit murder?" Dengar question, smelling the booze from his shot glass.

At this moment, Seba knew she had to play her cards correctly and be extremely careful with her next choice of words. "You think I'll be crazy enough to go against Watto? Like you forgot this chip I have planted in my head that could turn my brains into stew. Also, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want that would you?"

She was right. He didn't want her to die especially from such a trivial mistake. "Touché love but if you want my special craft, it's going to cost ya." He told her, drinking another shot of the booze.

Thinking about Razé and Leia, she didn't care what price she would have to pay. She was already an adult while both Razé and Leia have their whole childhood left. Children shouldn't be in this predicament in the first place and she felt like she had nothing left to lose. "How about this. I'll give you a year's worth of alcohol for free." She offered.

Dengar considered the idea of alcohol but it wasn't enough for a powerful liquid capable of death. "As tempting as that sounds, I want something more. Why don't you let me rent you out for a couple of nights? No hidden intentions I promise."

Seba contemplated his proposal and had to admit, it could've been worse. Dengar proved to be different from what she expected and maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

"Deal but I need it by tomorrow morning." She said in a dangerously low tone, Watto could be seen walking close to the bar and didn't want for him to hear her."That won't be a problem mate, I promise." he replied smoothly.

"Dengar, Dengar don't you have a bounty to collect." A rough voice interrupted the conversation while Seba turned around and organized the bottles. The bounty hunter wasn't really fond of the slave master but also didn't care for him either.

"Are you offering me a job?" Dengar replied sarcastically, taking a napkin and wiping his mouth. A hard chuckle could be heard coming from the bug. Seba was glad she was facing the wall of liquor because her face was filled with annoyance.

"I would if that meant you would stop bothering my people and let them do theirs," Watto spoke sternly. It was weird for the Twi'lek to hear her oppressor protect her in a sense when all he ever did was scold her in public.

"Yeah yeah, I have some business with the Hutts to attend to anyways." Dengar shrugged, not trying to hear any more of the mosquito. "Here's the tab."

Watto left the minute he saw the armored clad bounty hunter take out the credits and covered his bill. When Seba turned around to collect the money, his handheld the currency firm and stared directly at her.

"See you, tomorrow love. Don't forget our little deal." He winked and left the cantina briefly. Seba was internally relieved it was finally dealt with and had to start organizing a solid plan for Leia's safety.

Speaking of which, Leia could've been spotted holding a tray of cleaning detergents when a Rodian extended her foot out and tripped the girl. Seba winced at the fact of the child landing face first as it looked like a painful slip.

Luckily, Razé came in and help the girl up from the dirty floorboards. She could tell the child wanted to cry the pain of her nearly swollen nose but decided against it and brushed it off.

"Don't worry Leia, I'll find a way to get you and Razé out for good." She whispered to a level only she could hear and continued prepping new beverages for the customers.

———

Star destroyer Outer Rim

The loud footsteps followed by mechanical breathing filled the pristine corridor as Darth Vader marched straight towards his office. Retrieving his commlink, the sith apprentice paged the newly appointed admiral as head of his private security.

"Admiral Piett," Vader spoke, waiting for his comrade's response. Just in time, a stern voice could be heard responding a quick "yes milord."

"I do not wish to be disturbed while at a conference with the Emperor." Darth Vader stated. His master would be pleased to learn of a potential new lead. Admiral Piett ordered his fellow imperial officers and troopers to retreat from Vader's wing in the Star Destroyer.

Standing right in front of his desk, the mechanical Sith apprentice grunted in pain as he kneeled in front of the projection screen, calling his master. Within a few moments, a blue projection illuminated the white interiors and greeted his presence.

"If it isn't my good friend, Darth Vader." Emperor Palpatine emphasized with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Hello, my master." Vader greeted, wincing in pain from the position he was currently in.

"You may rise" the Emperor spoke, acknowledging the respect from his second in command. Vader took no delay into standing up once again and bowing his head in return. "What is the progress of your search Lord Vader?"

"I have found a possible source of intel on Tatooine regarding a former Jedi padawan." Darth Vader explained, feeling a bit agitated with the mention of his former homeworld.

Darth Sidious contemplated this possible source for such tremor created in the force a few days ago. It is likely that a padawan could create a revolt against the Empire with their Jedi master (if they survived). However, they would be foolish to believe they could stand a chance against him and the Empire. Still, the matter needed to be investigated and luckily for his apprentice sake, Tatooine would be a great start towards his expedition. He knew the amount of pain and anger the planet left for Darth Vader and it could easily be used as fuel to create more power.

Glowing amber eyes peeked through the hood followed by a sinister grin on the wrinkled face. "Find the padawan and eliminate them at once. We can't risk any chance of hope at the expense of a new Jedi order."

"Understood my master." Darth Vader promised, starting directly at the holo projection. For a moment, silence surrounded the air as if his own master was deep in thought.

"If their Jedi master survived the order, Bring them to me alive at once. If you fail me, your punishment will be more excruciating than the last time." Palpatine said, catching Vader's attention. What did his master want with a Jedi master? Why was it important to keep them alive?

"I will not fail you," Vader stated, making the Emperor smirk under his hood.

"Good my friend. Before I go, pay your respect to your mother on my behalf." Palpatine spoke, giggling mischievously. The blue lighting completely disappeared and Vader could feel his hand tighten into a fist.

His master really did know how to anger him at his lowest point.

——-

Mos Espa

After an insufferable day at the cantina, Leia was relieved to finally be back in her new home. The three housemates barely spoke on the drive back home. It was especially odd due to Seba always being the conversation starter and Razé chiming in from time to time, joking with her. Instead, she was oddly just as quiet as Leia. Razé made a mental note to bring it up during dinner.

As usual, Leia headed straight upstairs and presumably went to change out of her work attire. Seba, on the other hand, placed her robes on the coat rack and headed towards the kitchen with Razé following in tow.

"Sebs what's going on? Why are you so quiet?" The teen boy asked, pulling up a chair from the small round table near the conservator.

"It's nothing. I'm just tired that's all." Seba lied, retrieving a cup from the cabinet and poured some blue milk from the conservator into the cup.

Razé wasn't fooled by the odd response to which he pestered her more. " I call B.S. First it's Leia, and now it's you? Tell me the truth, Seba."

Seba turned around and faced her friend, who was staring directly at her. She hated the fact that Razé has a strong intuition for his age. He would always find a way to tell when she was lying even if it was a little white lie. The Twi'lek decided to ignore him by drinking slowly from her glass.

"Is this about that Dengar guy who was bothering you at the bar? I was gonna say something but I saw Leia fall by the round tables." Razé explained, causing her to almost spit the gulp of milk from her mouth. She mentally cursed at Razé for being so annoying. She didn't want to tell him the truth especially for his safety but now, that's virtually impossible.

Seba placed the glass on the dinner table and sat directly across from Razé. "Look Raz if I tell you what's really happening, you have to keep it between us promise?" She spoke, extending her pinky finger to the Togruta.

"I promise," Razé replied while intertwining his pinky finger with hers.

"The reason why Leia had been so quiet to us recently is cause she's being rented from that Nautolan with those two women." She told him. Suddenly Razé understood why Leia would avoid the private booths in general. He then began to feel guilty for not noticing sooner and helping her out.

"Geez, Sebs that rough. She's only seven dude what are we gonna do?" Raze asked, rubbing his palms against his temples.

"What _I'm_ going to do is poison him plain and simple," Seba said, earning a look from her fellow alien friend.

"Really Sebs? Poison? You think that it wouldn't look suspicious for them to drink your booze and suddenly die?" Razé was very skeptical of that idea.

"Not if you make it seem like it was alcohol poisoning. People are gonna think he just drank himself to death." Seba clarified further. Razé still wasn't sure at the fruition of her plan.

"Okay so supposedly you get him intoxicated, then what? How are you going to poison his drink when our master doesn't have any solution that can result in death at the cantina." Razé inquired, noticing Seba's change in attitude.

"I already got that handled. Don't worry about it." Seba avoided his gaze and stared at her half-full glass in front of her.

"Sebs? What did you do? Don't tell me it had to do with Dengar?" Seba only ignored him and drank the remaining contents from her glass. This only angered Razé further. "Answer me! I swear to the maker I hate it when you do this."

"Ssh" she begged." I'll tell you but I don't want Leia to hear it yet okay?" She whispered in a low tone. Razé agreed and waited for her to continue. "Dengar is gonna give me one of his elixirs in exchange for some free drinks." Technically she didn't lie, it was just a part of the truth, to begin with.

"Fine but are you gonna tell Leia the truth?" The Togruta thought it was only fair for the little girl to know what was going to occur. Seba contemplated the idea and was unsure what to do. On one hand, Leia needed to know how to execute the plan but at the same time, she knew the little girl's nerves wouldn't suffice the ordeal.

Just her luck, a fragile voice interrupted their conversation causing both pairs of alien eyes to look in her direction. Leia was standing in the doorway, wearing her pj's and letting her long brown wet hair hang over her shoulders. The child probably took a shower already but her swollen nose matched the bruising on her soft pale cheeks. "Tell me what?"

Razé was extremely worried at Leia's appearance. He hated to admit but Leia was starting to look like a walking corpse. As on cue, Razé got up from the chair and headed straight towards the conservator leaving the two females alone at the table.

"Leia! I was just telling Razé that I know how to handle your problem from tomorrow." Seba decided to let the girl in on the plan, knowing it was best for her safety.

Razé retrieved an ice pack from the freezer and wrapped it in a cloth. "Here Leia why don't you take this and put it in your nose. I'm gonna prepare some rations while Seba tells you everything."

Leia took the ice pack from his hands and sat at his former seat at the table. "Thank you." She finally said, placing the pack on her nose.

"Okay so here's the plan. When that guy comes into the cantina, you're going to do your very best offering him a lot of drinks. When you see him getting drunk, I'm going to poison his last drink." She instructed, noticing the girl looking extremely hesitant.

"What if it doesn't work? I-I don't know what I'll do." Leia began crying which made Seba extend her hand on top of Leia's free one. "It is going to work. You just can't let your doubt get to you. Have a little faith." Seba comforted. The Twi'lek really needed to take her advice as she was extremely nervous too.

' _Please maker, make this work."_ She prayed.

———

Elsewhere on Tatooine

The pink and purple skies from the binary sunset illuminated the landscape of the orange desert. Obi-Wan Kenobi was relieved to finally land on his newfound home planet after an extensive trip from Alderaan. Leia's safety was the main priority regardless of his master's orders. From time to time, he would also think about his former padawan and promised himself to not make the same mistakes, especially with his children.

The former Jedi master decided to hide his small aircraft in a nearby cave and used the force to cover up the entrance with the surrounding boulders. Obi-Wan was happy feeling the heat from the twin suns dissolve into cool breezes of the night. His journey to the Lar's Homestead proven to be quite dangerous especially since Tusken Raiders were ruthless at night.

Acting as inconspicuous as possible, Obi-Wan managed to successfully reach the Lar's homestead with no interference from the nearby tribe.

A loud sound from the front door, awoken the sleeping couple, unsure who dared to interrupt their slumber at this time. Beru got up from the bed and retrieved her robe before heading to the doorway. Looking through the peek hole, a man dressed a brown robe with silver-blond hair stood in front of the door. Beru instantly recognized her savior and opened the door quickly.

"BEN!" She yelled and gave him a hug from excitement. She was so happy to finally see the guy who would save their niece from the terrible nightmare. Obi-wan froze from the hug as he never was the hugger type, to begin with, and pulled away.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry!" Beru noticed his discomfort almost immediately and blushed in embarrassment. "Come in and make yourself at home."

Owen could hear a commotion coming from the living quarters and silently cursed at whoever decided to wake him up from his recently rare occurrence of slumber.

"Beru my love what is going on?" A sleepy Owen chimed in, rubbing the crust from his eyes.

"Hello, Owen," Ben spoke. Owen was surprised to see the old man in front of him. No matter how many times he disliked Ben, he was actually elated to see him in his home.

Feeling more alert, Owen extended his hand to the former Jedi master and encouraged him to sit in the burgundy couches. "Why don't you sit down while I'll prepare some blue milk for the both of you."

Beru nodded at her husband and sat in the loveseat across from Obi-wan. "How was your trip coming back?" She asked, trying to ease her way into the conversation.

"It was dreadful. You would think meditation would feel peaceful." He stated and Owen entering the living quarters with three cups of blue milk.

"Well, We're glad you were able to make it. We miss Leia deeply." Owen said, serving the cups and sitting next to his wife. "Now that you're here, where do we start with the search?" Beru asked, sipping on the cool liquid.

"If Leia indeed was sold into slavery, someone in the marketplace must know about any slave masters within the vicinity of this planet," Ben said, looking at the couple. Tatooine is a large planet. Leia could've been anywhere at this point. The couple was worried that Leia probably got shipped off the planet with her captor.

"How do we know she's still on this planet? Can't you use the force mojo to find her?" Owen question giving his own opinion. He didn't really believe the power of force users. Then again, he never met any notable force users besides the Emperor and his apprentice through the holonet.

Ben closed his eyes and placed the glass of milk down on the coffee table. Relishing in the silence, Ben took the opportunity to focus on Leia's familiar force presence he knew since she was a baby.

Minutes passed which made Beru and Owen even more anxious at the confirmation of their worse fears. Ben searched for any signs of the child through the force which proven to be difficult. To his relief, he could feel a small light presence in the distance. Any force user could miss it but he was grateful to know Leia's distinct presence in the force.

"She still on the planet... I can sense her." Ben told them, opening his oceanic eyes once again. Both husband and wife were relieved at the thought of their little Leia being close to home. "Thank the maker." Beru caressed her husband's free hand for comfort.

"In order to begin our search, we need more information on the possible suspects involved in Leia's kidnapping. Owen, you mentioned a Rakata and Toydarian correct?" Ben asked. Owen, who finished his drink, place his glass on the coffee table.

"Yes. I met them at the marketplace on Mos Eisley." Owen recalled. Ben stroke his beard contemplating his next course of action. "Who could possibly have any more information other than the drunks and scoundrels in the cantina nearby. I believe we shall start our search there in the morning."

"Why not now? You're finally here and we don't have time to spare." Owen became frustrated once again. Beru stood quiet, watching the possible altercation unfold in front of her eyes.

"I was fortunate enough to not get noticed by the Tuskan Raiders. I also have the ability to defend myself with the force. Your safety will only provide a hindrance during this time of night." Ben explained. Beru agreed with the old man while her husband looked defeated.

"You are more than welcome to spend a night here. It'll be easier in the morning anyways." Beru offered. Owen didn't mind either especially since it was all for Leia's sake.

"The couch converts into a sofa bed too so you'll be comfortable." Owen added hoping Ben would accept the offer.

"Very well then I'll stay if it isn't too much of a hassle." Ben accepted. "We shall start the search at dawn.

—————————

 **Hello everyone! Thank you for being so patient with this story! Next chapter will probably be the longest to date. We will finally learn who is going to save Leia once and for all.**


	9. Discovery

_Serene blue skies welcomed the small child followed by the familiar breeze she came to know. Leia found herself in her hidden safe haven, this time sitting near the waters of the clear blue lake. She couldn't help but smile for successfully dreaming of the place after a failed attempt from the previous night._

 _The only thing left was the presence of her good friend who happened to comfort her in her darkest moments. Looking across the lake, Leia scanned in between the trees. Something had caught the little girl's attention. She didn't know if it was part of her imagination but a female figure could be seen peaking their_ _head from behind a tree. For a split second, Leia blinked and notice the figure disappear._

 _Normally, the situation would creep her out completely. However, due to the fact that it was a dream, Leia brushed it off and decided to look for her friend instead. "Luke? Are you here?" Her soft tone could be heard, saying the name of her friend._

 _Leia wasn't sure what overcame her but an unknown intuition made her decide to walk around the lake, towards the same trees from earlier._

 _"Luke?" She called out, passing the field of wild blue and yellow flowers to her right. Leia felt a gush of wind surround her as if it was enveloping her in a loving hug. The breeze gently flowed in front of her direction causing Leia's gaze to shift right in between the trees. A crackle could be heard, as if someone accidentally stepped on a pile of branches and leaves, trying to be discreet as possible._

 _Leia's heart began to race but she wasn't scared. Her friend was nowhere near in sight and she felt a pair of eyes were watching her coming closer and closer. The girl took a big gulp as she was about to confront whoever decided to appear in her dream._

 _"Leia? There you are! I was looking everywhere for you!" A familiar voice said, coming from behind. For a moment, Leia forgot about her little investigation and went to hug her good friend._

 _"What are you doing out here? I heard you calling from the flower fields and saw you walking towards the forest." Luke asked, breaking apart the hug after a while._

 _"I thought I saw a woman walking around here. It's nothing I guess." Leia brushed it off, thinking it was just her imagination._

 _"Speaking of a woman, I saw someone who reminded me so much of you at the library," Luke exclaimed, grabbing her tiny hand. "C'mon I'll tell you all about it in the hills."_

 _"Really? Wait what library?" Leia asked while getting tugged from her best friend._

 _"The library in my house," Luke answered, trying to get to his destination. Leia felt even more confused but decided to play along._

 _"Oh yeah?" She questioned skeptically, noticing how the blue and yellow flower field spring to life besides them._

 _Luke only ignored her for a moment, noticing his friend not taking him seriously. Just a few feet away lied the same hills he and Leia would watch the clouds from._

 _"Yes, Leia. I had this Holocron of a lady but I think it's broken. Winter scared me while we were playing so I dropped it." Luke sat on the well-maintained grass._

 _Leia sat next to him and became even more perplexed at Luke's story." Playing? I thought you were in the library. Who is Winter?"_

 _Luke became even more frustrated at Leia." I was in the library but my friend and I decided to play hide and seek" Luke dragged, hoping the girl would get the idea._

 _"Well, I might be able to fix it. Where's this so-called library?" Leia questioned, turning to the blond-haired boy._

 _"It's not here. I mean it is here but not in here." Luke rambled, subconsciously picking on the grass at his fingertips._

 _"It has to be here Luke. I mean this is my dream; where else could it be?" Leia didn't understand where Luke was coming from._

 _"I know it's a dream but I'm talking about real life!" Luke spoke loudly, causing Leia to shut her mouth and stare at him. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell, what I meant to say was that I saw a Holocron that looked like you at the library."_

 _Leia was unable to process this new piece of information. Did the small boy that stood before her actually exist? If so then how is all of this even possible?_ _"Luke, are you real?" She finally asked._

 _"Of course I'm real! Are you real?" Luke responded, noticing the girl lost in thought._

 _"Yes, I am. I live on Tatooine." Leia confessed, slightly ashamed of her home planet. "It's not the greatest planet to exist but my aunt and uncle live there so I guess it's okay." Leia closes her eyes briefly, trying to contain the tears from flowing on her soft cheeks._

 _Luke was surprised to know Leia existed in real life too. He secretly wished to have the doe-eyed girl join him and Winter at the palace. Unlike Winter, Leia had this special connection no other kid his age has had. Leia doesn't force him to play or even annoy him. The small child decided to lie next to his new best friend and watch the clouds together. "What about your mama and papa? Where do they live?"_

 _"My daddy died during the clone wars. Aunt Beru said he was a hero pilot and I don't have a mama." Leia felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness consume her. She decided to stare directly at the clouds, avoiding Luke's consoling gaze._

 _"That's impossible. Everyone has a mama." Luke refuted. Leia wiped her tears with her arm and wanted to change the topic completely._

 _"Why did you say the woman reminded you of me?" Leia asked, hoping to successfully change the subject. Luke didn't notice Leia's mood change as he put his hands behind his head for comfort._

 _"Well you and her had the same exact eyes! It was dark and yet, warm if that makes sense. I'm pretty sure that was a holo of an angel or something." Luke insisted, thinking back to the picture._

 _"She must've been really beautiful." Leia wondered. Her mind drifted back to earlier between the Forrest. Her heart could've sworn she saw a woman in the distance too._

 _"Yeah, she was." He noticed the aura between the two which made Luke sit up and head to the nearby flower fields. Leia wondered what the child was doing and decided to sit up too, wiping the grass leaves from her loose hair._

 _Luke could be seen coming back with a small blue flower in his hand. "I thought this would cheer you up. I'm sorry for being annoying earlier." He handed the small blue daisy flower towards his friend who smiled completely at him. Luke could tell Leia was sad every time he saw her. He only wished to see her smiling as it was indeed her best feature._

 _Leia held the flower beneath her nose and smelled its fresh perfume scent."Thank you for being so kind to me." She said, putting the flower on her ear._

" _No probs. I don't know what's going on but you can always tell me. I'll always be here for you." Luke said, relieved to see his friend's mood change for the better._

 _"And so will I." Leia began, getting up from her spot and stood in front of the boy. "Can you teach me how to throw the rocks on water?"_

 _Luke noticed Leia's playful mood and decided to match it."Sure! Last one to the lake is a rotten star fruit!" he said as he ran off towards the lake. Leia trailed behind him and for the first time in a while, she felt as if everything was going to be okay._

 _—_

Mos Espa, Tatooine

In the early mornings of the new day, Seba found herself wide awake with only an hour to spare before the alarm would chime in. Today is finally the day where the female Twi'lek would pull off one of the most dangerous schemes during her years as a slave. Since the beginning of her childhood, Seba didn't understand why slavery had been a thing if it treated everyone so cruelly. Although she didn't know Leia for long, she felt like she had an obligation to protect both her and Razé from harm. She just hoped Dengar didn't bluff as he was the most crucial part into pulling off the plan.

Seba decided to get a head start in the morning and used the refresher. Before leaving the room, Seba saw Leia sleeping blissfully from the little light that crept in from the doorway. In fact, it was the most peaceful she's ever been especially since the little girl only ate a small ration of food and went to bed early. She would have to remind Leia to eat something more when she woke up.

Exiting their bedroom, Seba decided to check up on the snoring Razé next door. Opening the door, she almost giggled at the sight of Razé sleeping so wildly. The teen Togruta slept sideways with his leg sticking out towards the floor. Everything in the small room seemed to be clean and organized despite the messy sleeper. She then closed the door quietly and went into the refresher.

The sight of her two young roommates gave Seba the strength she needed. Now more than ever, Seba was determined to kill the Nautolan even if the plan had failed. Some would call it a death wish for the Twi'lek while others would call it bravery. Either way, Seba hopes the plan would be successfully executed; at least for her brain's sake.

—-

Star Destroyer

The terrifying Sith apprentice felt at ease in his meditation chamber. He cherished the very rare moments of breathing oxygen from his very own nostrils, even if it slightly hurt with each breath.

Over the years, Vader grew to the concept of meditation as he always despised it for bringing up painful memories. Going to Tatooine only made him remember the hardships of slavery with his mother, to seeing her die in his arms. It also served as a reminder for the most irrational decision that changed his life forever. If only he didn't follow the fallen Jedi master, Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. His life would've been completely different today. His mother would've probably been alive, Padmé would've been participating in the imperial senate, and he wouldn't mourn the loss of his child. He didn't care if he and Padmé remained strangers. all he cared about was her being alive even if she didn't know who he was.

Channeling the dark side, Darth Vader closed his yellow eyes and felt the coldness of the force surround him simultaneously. Something in the force caught his attention. It wasn't a tremor like he previously experienced within the past couple of days. It felt as if the maneuvers of the force were changing kind of like flying a spaceship to a set of fixed coordinates. An event was going to occuR, and a whisper in the force told him to prepare.

Just in time, an incoming transmission disrupted Vader's meditation which made Vader even angrier. Whoever dared to interrupt him must have a pretty solid excuse. Lord Vader then used the force to assemble his mask over his scarred face.

"Milord, we have arrived in the orbit of Tatooine." Admiral Piett informed from the bridge of executor. Seeing that it was his head of security paging him, he decided not to kill him instantly.

"Do not interrupt me in my meditation chamber again or the consequences will be fatal." The mechanical voice threatened which made the imperial officer sweat. "Inform the death squadron to prepare a trip to Mos Espa."

"Understood milord. Anything else?" Admiral Piett asked from the screen. Darth Vader also knew how perfect Tatooine would be for criminals hiding from the Empire. Although the whole planet needed to be raided, the sith decided to only raid the spaceports instead.

"Send a select number of stormtroopers to Mos Eisley. The Emperor is looking for any criminal who committed treason and other acts against the Empire. Intimidation causes chaos and fear. Something this planet desperately needs." Darth Vader wanted revenge against the planet that caused him to be where he was today.

"Very well milord. Your ship shall be prepared for departure."

—

Lars Homestead

The sunrise from the binary suns proved to be a wonderful and calming sight for the former Jedi master. One of the only good things residing on this barren planet happened to be the colors of the skies when the suns would rise from the west of the hemisphere.

Obi-Wan Kenobi forgot what it was like to be on a speeder during the rising high temperatures. Beru and Owen Lars wanted to leave exactly at dawn to avoid the heat. Although the trio didn't know what to look for exactly in Mos Eisley, Ben had a good feeling that they were going to find more information on Leia's whereabouts.

Upon arriving in the marketplace, Ben could've seen merchants setting up booths for the day. He could've also seen several scoundrels entering the cantina, presumably to drink and congregate.

"Before we enter the cantina, both of you must seem as inconspicuous as possible. Everyone will notice an outsider within the crowd." Ben told the couple, who stood together behind him.

"Agreed. Are you ready honey?" Beru asked her husband who looked apprehensive. "As ready as I will ever be" Owen replied, patting his wife on her shoulder.

"I suggest we split up to cover more ground once." Owen nodded his head in agreement and gave a reassuring gaze to towards his wife. The trio entered the cantina, praying that their investigation will be successful.

The cantina was small compared to the ones Obi-Wan visited throughout his lifetime. The bar laid in the center of the room, containing a 360 counter for drunks who wanted their booze at ease. There were several booths surrounding the walls of the buildings with a small stage used for entertainment.

Obi-Wan's inclinations led him to the bar where a Duro and Rodian were laughing at some inside joke. The former Jedi put his hood up and pretended to be a wondering drunk and sat next to the Duro.

Ben Kenobi ordered a glass of firewater from the human male bartender. He noticed Beru and Owen sitting in one of the booths, making casual conversations. The party next to him, however, were being extremely rowdy especially in the morning.

The pale red-haired bartender served Kenobi the brown liquid to which he took a small sip to maintain his facade. He despised the taste of the liquor and did his best to not act disgusted. He also noticed the bartender serving a purple shot to the Duro, who became happy with the service he received.

"This place is way better than the one in Mos Espa." The Duro told his friend, who nodded in agreement. "At least over here, they don't have little girls spilling drinks on you and being lazy." The Rodian told him.

Bens ears perked up at the mention of a little girl. He had to make a smooth conversation without being as obvious as possible. Ben decided to play along and see if they were talking about the same child.

"I don't mean to interrupt but are you talking about that brown-haired girl who seems to be around seven years old?" Ben asked while the Duro turned to him.

"Yeah? What's it to ya?" The Duro inquired, quite skeptical of the fellow who sat beside him.

"She did the same thing to me too a couple of days ago." Ben sipped his drink casually noticing the Duro shaking his head.

"Yeah, I don't understand why Watto bought her in the first place. The place is a complete shithole and she can barely clean at all." The Duro took a shot of the purple liquid and listen to a nonrelated question coming from his Rodian friend.

Obi-Wan's stomach sank at the mention of Watto owning another Skywalker. He remembered meeting the large fly all those years ago with his master. The force really had its way of repeating itself. The next thing he needed to do was inform the couple and leave the cantina without alerting anyone.

Ben paid the bartender for the drink and headed towards the private booths where the couple was chatting. Beru noticed how Ben's mood changed and was unsure at what made him look defeated. "Well did you find anything?" she whispered.

"Unfortunately, Leia is in Mos Espa under Watto's ownership," Ben replied, noticing Owens eyes bulging from his head.

"Did you say Watto? That was the son of a bitch who owned my stepmother all those years ago!" Owen remembered how happy his father was finding the love of his life once again. Beru couldn't believe it either. From the short time she met Shmi, she always believed that woman was kind and sweet just like Leia. "What do we do?" She asked and before Ben could respond, a dozen stormtroopers stormed the cantina with their blasters pointing at almost everyone.

"I have a very bad feeling about this." The old man said while Owen and Beru held each other's hand underneath the table.

"Listen up. We will be inspecting everyone's IDs momentarily. Anyone who doesn't cooperate will be arrested." A female Imperial officer instructed, with every trooper spreading around the cantina.

"Ben you need to leave now!" Beru whispered at her friend. She knew the situation would be detrimental if Obi-Wan's identity gets exposed as a former Jedi.

"We will be okay. Just find our Leia and bring her home." Owen assured the Jedi who didn't foresee the events occurring. Ben didn't want to leave the couple in the situation but he had to. He couldn't risk the Emperor finding out about his survival, let alone, Darth Vader. He would be a dead man walking.

A stormtrooper holding an A280 blaster came towards the booth where the trio was sitting. "Give me your ID's" the robotic sounding voice demanded. Beru and Owen complied and handed the stormtrooper their ID. The trooper then put his blaster towards their back and retrieved a device from their utility belt. After scanning the IDs, Beru and Owen sighed with relief for coming back with a clean background. Meanwhile, the trooper turned towards the old guy who didn't budge.

"Your ID now." The trooper demanded once again from the fellow citizen. Ben held his fingers out and spoke directly at the stormtrooper. "You already scanned my ID. I'm free to go." His fingers swiped in front of the trooper's vision.

"I already scanned your ID, you're free to go." The trooper repeated. Owen was baffled at his rival using the force so easily to dissuade the weak-minded. The couple gave Obi-Wan a reassuring look and watched the wise man leave the building without any trouble.

Ben Kenobi could see more stormtroopers questioning the merchants at the market and looked up to the sky. A Star Destroyer could be seen in the distance followed by a chill coming down his spine. His brother was here. He could feel the dark side radiating in the air as if it were a magnetic field. That's how powerful Darth Vader was in the dark side of the force. Obi-Wan immediately shielded himself from the force and lurked in the shadows.

A storm was coming and he wasn't sure how to deal with it.

—

Cantina, Mos Espa

Leia Skywalker stood in front of the cantina with both Razé and Seba by her side. It all came down to this very day. The girl hoped that she would be able to convince the Nautolan into ordering new drinks and get him drunk enough. Razé patted Leia's shoulder for comfort and entered the cantina, leaving the two girls alone for a brief moment.

"If you're feeling nervous, take deep breaths. I know its a lot of pressure but everything will be okay." Seba advised, noticing Leia letting out a long sigh. Leia then wrapped her short arms around Seba's stomach. The blue Twi'lek returned the hug and placed her hand on Leia's chin, making the little girl look directly at her. "May the force be with you."

Leia let go of Seba's stomach and collected herself in a slight moment. "And with you," she replied, remembering the familiarity of that phrase. Aunt Beru always told her uncle that whenever he left the homestead for a business trip. The memory made the child smile and enter the building with Seba following in tow.

Seba made her way towards the bar while her housemates went to their assigned positions. Although it was early in the morning, the Twi'lek couldn't wait to see the notorious bounty hunter enter through the doorway. To occupy her time, Seba decided to clean the counter. Every time a customer entered the building, her heart would leap thinking that it would be Dengar, greeting her with the little smirk on his face.

Leia's heart too was beating fast with each customer entering the building. To ease up her anxiety, the girl decided to clean the bathrooms so that way she didn't have to see her buyer entering the doors. For the moment, Leia felt safer with each passing minute. With Watto not informing her of Regu's arrival, she was safe to assume that wasn't there. Maybe he wouldn't show up and everything could be avoided. The child continued to clean the bathrooms as it seems like a better alternative than being out there.

Two hours passed, and Dengar had yet to make an appearance. Seba was growing more edgier as she silently wanted to kill the bounty hunter for not showing up. She then saw little Leia leaving the bathroom with a couple of cleaning supplies in her tubby. The child was apprehensive as her brown eyes scanned the main area looking for her oppressors. To her relief, Regu hadn't arrived either and she continued to clean the tables for the arriving crowd. Leia had to admit it was getting more and busier. Within the next couple of minutes, two purple-haired human women entered the cantina with the Nautolan being right in the middle.

Leia's heart sunk as her wishes were definitely not happening. Regu looked across the cantina for the little girl and winked at her when he caught the stare from those brown eyes. The child knew it was time to start the plan, as she put her cleaning tubby in the utility closet and helped Razé serve some customers.

From the bar, Seba notices the infamous Nautolan sitting with two women in a private booth. The purple-haired pale women cuddled closely to the alien who gave each of them full kisses on their lips. Seba was absolutely disgusted and angry at the fact of not being able to kill him on sight.

"Dengar you motherfucker," Seba whispered under her breath. She couldn't believe she was that naive to think a bounty hunter would keep their word. The Twi'lek went to get more shot glasses hanging by the bottles of firewater when a familiar voice greeted her.

"Hello, love. May I have the usual please." the Corellian spoke, making Seba turn around instantly at the sound of his distinct accent.

"You piece of shit! I thought you stood me up." Seba told the man who smiled at her. She poured the brown liquid into the small glass and gently pushed it in front of him.

"It seems like someone is happy to see me. You know I would neva hun. It's just that these hutts are way too slow when it comes to payment." Dengar explained, retrieving the drink and mixing the liquid in his glass.

"You almost had me there for a second. Do you have it?" Seba whispered. Thankfully, Watto had been in his office probably on a call or something.

"I neva disappoint on a deal," Dengar spoke, retrieving a small vial from his pocket and handed it to her. Seba scanned the entire room once again for the sign of her master and was in the clear. She inspected the small vial and noticed the liquid wa translucent. Still, she placed the object in her pocket and substituted it for the washcloth hanging on her waist.

"It better not be a trick and actually be water," Seba warned while wiping off some booze from the counter. "You'll see in a while." Dengar took a shot of firewater from the glass.

"I hope you're right."

Leia swallowed the lump in her throat as she approached the private booth to initialize the plan. The Nautolan smiled at the young girl as he had his arms wrapped around the two young women.

"My my my look who decided to say hi." Regu sat up and extended his hand to caress Leia's face. Leia flinched at the touch and wanted to get away as far as possible. "I hope you're ready for me tonight."

Leia gagged and took a step back from his reach. "Would you like anything to drink?" She asked, ignoring his comment. Upon closer inspection, Leia noticed the two women had to be twins as they shared identical glances at her. She couldn't tell if they were jealous of something that never existed but their facial expressions were a bit rude.

"Of course beautiful. Let me have one starfruit cocktail and two margaritas." Regu ordered, sitting back into his previous position.

Leia nodded and made her way to the bar, noticing Seba talking to a stranger wearing a turban on his head. "Hey, Sebs can I have one starfruit cocktail and two margaritas." She asked, interrupting the casual banter between the two.

"Coming right up." Seba nodded her head as if she was letting the child know that it'll all be over soon.

———

Mos Espa.

The heat of the binary suns made the mechanical suit feel like a sauna for Darth Vader. If it wasn't for the oxygen and nutrients being supplied in the suit, he would've probably fainted from a heat stroke. The only other time he felt this way was in Mustafar after his best friend betrayed and almost killed him. Soon he would find Kenobi and show no mercy but for now, he had other matters to attend to.

A dozen of black-armored stormtroopers followed their leader on the run-down streets of Mos Espa. Local habitants walking in the city were left with crippling fear at the sight of the mercenary. Some decided to run away while others kept their head down low.

Darth Vader noticed the building from the distance as several aliens and humans entered and exited, some limping from being too drunk. As soon as one of the aliens saw the sith apprentice, he sobered up quickly and ran the opposite direction. Underneath the mask, the dark lord smirked at the power he was radiating.

Coming to a complete stop before the cantina, Darth Vader turned around and addressed his who were all in perfect formation. "Remember the objective. Find the Nautolan and bring them to me. Do not let anyone leave the vicinity or there will be consequences."

"Yes, milord." The troopers understood with unison.

———

After being served a cocktail, Regu started to feel the effects of drinking a powerful concoction fiddled with alcohol. Being drunk was probably one of the most euphoric feelings he experienced throughout his lifetime. However, being that he made a bargain with his friend Watto, he decided to be tipsy as it was a better alternative to have a semi-conscious mind. He promised to order just one more before leaving with the child.

Leia wiped a round table nearby and noticed the Nautolan signaling for her presence. The girl could feel something unsettling but she didn't know what it was. Walking up to his table, the two women were chatting amongst themselves while Regu shoved the empty glass on the table.

"I'll have one more sweetheart. Then we will leave." Regu ordered which caused Leia's anxiety to rise.

"A-are you sure? I heard there's a special hour on half-priced drinks?" Leia stuttered at the guy who seems to stare at her entire physique.

"Sounds tempting but I have something else in mind." He smirked which made the child uncomfortable. Leia turned around and went to the bar, sweating across her forehead. Seba noticed the girl approaching and looked worried. Luckily Dengar left five minutes ago which gave them more freedom to talk about the situation.

"What's wrong Leia? It looks like you just saw a ghost." The Twi'lek commented while pouring some firewater into a glass cup.

"Regu only wants one more cocktail before we go," Leia told her in a whisper. Watto could be seen talking to the band about their current selection of music.

"Shit shit shit! We have to do this now Leia." Seba became frantic for the child and passed the firewater to a sullstan down the bar. Leia shook her head and began panicking.

"I-I can't. I don't want to ruin anything." Doubt once again filled her mind at the possible outcome. She wanted to walk away but Seba yelled her name.

"Leia listen to me. You have to do this now. Everything is going to be okay but please don't give up. Trust me." Seba pleaded and started making the cocktail in hand. The child was hyperventilating until Seba gave her own word.

The Twi'lek turned around and faced the liquor bottles. Preparing the drink would be easy as it would be completed in less than five minutes. When she was done, Seba carefully turned her head to both sides looking for signs of her master. Watto was still discussing music selection with the band. Seba retrieved the small vial from her pocket.

The clear liquid disappeared inside the red drink, marking its completion. Seba carefully placed the drink on an empty tray followed by the tab. She then handed it to Leia who was still shaking a bit.

"Here you go. This is the only chance for me to save you. Try not to spill the drink okay?" Seba told her and wiped her blue hands with a cloth.

Leia nodded her head and held a death grip on the tray. She could notice the glass shaking a bit as she did her very best to be as careful as possible.

The eccentric music from the cantina band drowned out the entrance of several troopers followed by the second in command. When Seba noticed the commotion in front of her, her eyes instantly bulge from her sockets followed by fear. The infamous Lord Vader stepped inside the bar, going directly into the child's path. Razé also froze while cleaning a round table for his master to sit in. Everyone in the cantina stood completely silent as an unusual cold breeze filled the air.

Leia, who had her head down, didn't notice what was going on as her mind was focused on the drink in front of her. However, it was too silent and eerie. When she went to look up, she crashed into a solid black object, with red liquid spilling all over the person in front of her.

A mechanical breath was the only thing to be heard as Seba's heart dropped completely. "Please for maker's sake don't kill her." She whispered with tears flowing from her black eyes.

Leia noticed the glass shards on the floor and wanted to die over the spilled drink. Her only chance of salvation lied on the floor, gone like the only hope she had left.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." She crouched to the floor, trying to avoid eye contact with the figure in front of her. She desperately tried to clean the glass shards around the black boots which prickled her hand and made her bleed.

Darth Vader stood still, watching the small child in front of him. He didn't have the opportunity to see her face as she tried cleaning up the mess she made. Normally, the Sith Lord would be furious and retaliate against the child but something about the situation made him speechless. Seeing the girl crouched on the floor reminded him of the force dream he had the other day. His child had crouched the exact same way and the similarity was uncanny. It felt like the force was screaming at him. Still, he was unsure why the situation brought up so much pain.

A familiar figure from his past life grew closer to the two people as Vader stood deep in a trance.

"Lord Vader I apologize for this situation. " the Toydarian began, interrupting the dark lord's train of thought. Vader stared at the eyes of his former slave master and felt rage boil in his veins.

Leia placed the glass shards onto the tray and stood up, facing Watto. "I don't know why I bought you, you useless waste of space," Watto yelled and started slapping Leia across the face. Leias painful cries filled the cantina as she dropped the tray of shards on the floor once again.

Darth Vader recognized those same eyes on his fallen angel. The tears the flowed on her bruised cheeks from the punishment made the scene unbearable for Vader.

"Enough." Vader command. Watto instantly listened to the Sith and stopped hurting the child. Leia fell to the floor, covered in pain and held her hands to her cheeks. The girl was so angry yet so somber that she didn't notice the glass shards around her were lifting up in the air.

However, Darth Vader noticed and felt a powerful tremor in the force coming from the source in front of him. Maybe she is what he and his master felt light-years away. Using the force, Vader searched the little girl's force presence and was taken back by what he felt. The girl was powerful within the light side. Though the light inside of her was dim as if it was corrupted by the life experiences she faced.

"Rise child," Vader spoke, which made Leia even more scared than before. Leia stood up and faced the black mask staring at her.

"Milord I'm so sorry about her I-" Watto interrupted her again which cause Darth Vader to use the force and shove him against the wall, knocking him out.

The Dark Lord studied the little girl who stood before him. She must've been no later than eight years old. Her face was completely battered from the assault and she looked alarmingly too thin. Her long brown hair was tied to a bun which became messy from the encounter. Her eyes were red from the tears flowing constantly. Still, he could recognize those brown eyes from a mile away. He had to know her. He had to know who was able to cause so much turmoil within himself.

"What is your name." The Sith lord asked, not taking his eyes away from her.

"My name is Leia. Leia Skywalker." She swallowed her tears and bravely said.

 _Ani I'm pregnant_

It couldn't be. Their child stood before him, so beautiful yet so battered. He couldn't believe the child survived. _Leia._ Such a beautiful name, in fact, it was the same name he suggested towards his wife when he felt the little girl kicking in her mother's stomach.

He didn't understand why his hand gently caressed the child's cheek but it did. Leia flinched, thinking the guy would hurt her as Watto did. Vader noticed the girl flinch and wanted to curse at the person who caused his little angel so much pain. For now, he wanted to her out of there as fast as possible.

Pulling away from his daughter's face, Darth Vader turned to one of his troopers. "Take her to the medical bay at once" He ordered.

"You can't do that!" A voiced yelled coming from the bar. Who dared to defy him and separate his child? Darth Vader noticed a Twi'lek leaving the bar.

"Do you dare to speak against me?" Vader question. If his mask was off, then everyone in the cantina could see the pair of amber eyes glowing with hatred.

"N-no, milord. It's just that we have a chip implanted in our heads and if she leaves the area, it'll explode." Seba warned, looking at her friend crying in pain.

Darth Vader couldn't believe his child was a slave just like him on this terrible planet. To make matters worse, their captor was still alive, unconscious at the moment.

"Send a medi-droid to my location." Vader commed admiral Piett who followed the orders. The trooper released the girl from his grasp and looked at Seba who was also crying.

Meanwhile, Darth Vader turned his attention to the unconscious mosquito lying on the ground. Using the force, Darth Vader lifted the body and pulled him to his position.

The bug started waking up at the feeling of being levitated off the ground and snapped into reality when he saw the menacing Sith in front of him.

"Lord Vader, what seems to be the issue?" Watto became nervous in the presence of the killing machine.

"You worthless being managed to destroy my life when I was born and punish my mother for any little mistake she made. You then purchased my child and dared to harm her right in front of me. I've should've sought and dealt with you after I destroyed the Tusken Raiders." Vader said, closing his fist.

The toydarian could feel the air being sucked out of his very own lungs and pleaded with the guy. "Mother? Ani? Is that you? I-I didn't know she was a Skywalker until now. Besides I even f-freed your mother too."

"Liar! You didn't free her you sold her to Cliegg Lars." Vader yelled in fury. Leia stood by the troopers unsure and confused on what's going on. She then faced away and closed her eyes. Her ears perked up at the mention of her grandfather who her uncle would tell her stories about.

"Please l-let me go and I can pay you b-back." The Toydarian pleaded again. Vader wanted to laugh at his stupidity. "No amount of credits is worth her life."

Choking would be the easy way to take somebody out. He wanted Watto to suffer just like he and his family did under his ownership. Darth Vader retrieved his lightsaber with his free hand and ignited it.

Watto's eyes were wide open at the sight of the scarlet blade and started to panic under his grasp. "Please no, I'm sorry." He tried apologizing but the dark lord didn't care.

Slowly but surely, Vader decided to cut off each of his limbs one by one. Blood could be seen gushing out from the bug as the scene became extremely gory for nearby viewers.

Razé covered his eyes from the blood and couldn't believe his master was getting killed before him. Seba covered her mouth between her hands and gasped in shock. Leia covered her ears, not having the stomach to hear the scene take place.

Watto yelled in excruciating pain which sounded like music to Vader's ears. Last but certainly not least, Vader beheaded the bug as it created a loud thud on the floor. Everyone in the cantina was silent as Vader relished in the death of his former master. Powering off his lightsaber, Vader turned around and approached the troopers, waiting in stand by. He completely forgot about why he was there in the first place until he remembered.

"Capture the Nautolan and execute everyone else." Vader simply said, looking at his daughter who closed her eyes in horror. He forgot his child was there and hated himself for being ruthless in front of her.

"NO! YOU CAN'T KILL EVERYONE." Leia cried. Although she was still confused, she didn't want for Razé and Seba to die. "Please don't kill Seba and Razé. They protected me while I was a slave."

"Very well." He began and turned towards the general crowd." Razé and Seba, please step forward and exit the building." Vader saw the same female Twi'lek and a male teen Togruta step forward and hold each other's hands."

Leia was grateful her closest friends were spared because of her. Darth Vader then exited the building with the trio.

Leia ran to her friends and exchanged comforting hugs with each other. Sounds of blaster shots followed by screams could be heard coming from the Cantina. Seba hugged the girl and kissed the top of her head.

Darth Vader watched the three cry in each other's arms and felt awkward by just standing there. What he could tell was the fact that his daughter liked them a lot.

The girl broke away from the hug and noticed her savior standing alone watching them. She gently approached the giant and sparked a conversation.

"Are you really my daddt?" Leia asked, skeptical of him. She could've sworn her aunt Beru told her he died years ago. Why did her aunt and uncle lie?

Darth Vader's heart clenched hearing his daughter refer to him as her father. He could feel his eyes watering from hearing those words as the discovery of his daughter was new to him. It was the only perk of having a mask.

"Yes, little one." He responded, unsure on how to act around his child. Suddenly Vader could feel the girl wrapping her arms around his mechanical legs and hugged him as she did with her peers.

Leia didn't know why she hugged him but felt it was needed for being her salvation.

Vader was taken back by Leia's straightforwardness and stood completely still. He was feeling something strange form in his dark heart. The only time he felt this feeling was when he married his angel. Leia was indeed dangerous for him. No one could make the Sith love again or so he thought.

———

 **Phew! What a chapter. Being that this was an extremely long chapter, I decided to split it up into two parts. Hope you guys like it.**


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